Sakura's Journey
by ArashiKira
Summary: Sakura isn't your average 13 year old. She is a slender, or at least that's what she's supposed to be... As she struggles with her newly develloping powers, she must evade capture all the while surviving in the woods with only children younger than herself. Will her parents ever find her? Sequel to Nature's Spirit.
1. Chapter 1

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 1 Games**

I listened to the breeze blowing through the branches around and took in a breath of fresh air. From where I stood, perched up a tree, I could see a good part of the woodland. A movement caught my attention, I crouched down to get a better look. On the ground several feet below me, he arrived. He was a little boy, 12 years old, dressed in a black t-shirt with grey shorts. His sandy brown hair was died with neon green streaks and in his hand, he held a toy sword. "Sakura? Hey, Kura! Where are you?" He looked around, looking anxious as he did so. I prepared myself, drew my weapon and pounced, landing right next to him. He screamed in shock.

"AAAAH! My God, Sakura! Don't ever do that again!" Daemon started laughing. He hated it when I snuck up on him, but I suppose it was in my nature to do so. My name is Sakura. Sakura Moonlight Oakson if you want my full name. I am just your average 13 year old girl, well...not entirely. My dad is a slender, and I am too. According to him... Daemon and I had known each other since we were babies and we had always been best friends. I swung my own foam sword, colliding it with his. We played like this all the time. After a bit, we were both tired and laid down on the grass, looking at the clouds through the branches. I played with a strand of my long, curled brown hair when I heard Daemon's voice next to me. "So Kura, any sign of your powers yet?" I sighed. "None..." I was starting to feel things, like people's emotions and stuff like that. My dad said I was sensing their auras, but I wasn't enitrely sure if it really showed a sign that I had my powers.

We were both interupted from our moment of calm when the back door to the large house opened and two women walked out into the tree filled backyard. The first one had short and curled dark brown hair with two electric blue streaks. She was dressed in a punk style and had a nose piercing. The second one had a tattoo of flowers on her hand. She was dressed in a more casual style and had her long flowing brown hair untied and it swayed gently in the breeze. The first one spoke. "Daemon, come on! We're going home." he stood up, looking indigniated. "Aw come on mom! Can't I stay with Kura a little longer?" My mom stepped forward. "You two have been playing together for four hours now! And you said you'd go watch your parents rehearse for their show, Daemon." He crossed his arms and pouted, but still got up and went to see his mom. I waved goodbye as he left.

I laid back down in the grass when a little black squirrel padded over to where I was and started sniffing my hand. "Hey Squible, how are you?" I stroked his little fuzzy head. My mom came outside again to call me over for supper. I scooped up my not-so-ordinary pet in my arms and walked my not-so-ordinary self to the kitchen. "So, when's daddy gonna be home?" My mom put down her fork and looked over to the clock. It was 7 o'clock. She looked back to me and smiled. "He should be home after you go for a shower. There's a little dog that's causing problems at the clinic." I nodded. My dad was a vet. It was a fitting job for his kind, or our kind as I've been told. We are connected to nature very deeply. I smiled and glanced down at the sleeping squirrel in my pocket. After I was done, I went up to my room, gently placed the squirrel on my pillow, grabbed my pyjamas and headed for the bathroom. After removing my shirt, I tilted myself so I could see my bare back. My greyish hazel eyes gazed over the four darkened splotches that lay there against my tan skin, the only indicators that I was trully meant to have the powers of a slender. But I was 13. My dad said most slenders got their powers around age 6, latest at 9. I sighed and dropped the shirt to the floor. Maybe it was because my mom was human. Anyway, it didn't really matter at the moment. I was me, and my mom always said that was the best person to be.

**AN: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY I think I should keep a more steady pace with this fic, only posting one chapter a day...how does that sound? Of course I can't post on weekends...But yeah! This is the sequel to Nature's Spirit, and in case you haven't guessed, it's about Sakura: daughter of Tom and Sarah. And Daemon is Angie and Johnny's kid. ya... I'm more prepared for this story, seeing as Nature's Spirit, I was making it up as I went along and I think it showed :x I actually have a plan for this one and I hope it'll be better! Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 2 True Slender**

The bell rang, indicating recess. I went out, following the flow of students, until I found Daemon at the lockers. He looked at me for just a few seconds before speaking. "Hey Kura, you ok? You look really stressed." I smiled faintly and nodded. "Yeah..I think it's some weird sixth sense type thing. I'm ok." He grinned and nodded at my answer. Our parents were very close friends and he had grown-up with me, so he was bassically my brother in a way. He knew all about what my dad was and he knew what I was supposed to be. I winced as we re-entered the crowd. I could pick-up so many different emotions from the mass. It was like a swarm of little mosquitos against my mind. I didn't bother asking my dad about it. He had talked to me about sensing people's auras before and he said that it was up to each individual slender to master the skill on their own. I sighed. I was starting to get a headache.

We finally got to the school yard and I breath in the fresh air and thanked the fact that the people weren't as confined out here. I picked up a slight sense of relief from my left, knowing Daemon was glad I was clearly feeling better. The September air blew some leaves around and one of them landed in my long brown hair. I plucked it from the curls before tossing it asside. When I gazed up, it was sorrow that filled me as I saw that most kids were on some form of iPod or Android or whatever. They had forgotten the beauty of nature, or at the least, a decent game. I had inherrited an addiction to the things from both of my parents. My dad even called himself Gamerman at times. I snickered at the thought. Pulling out an old Nintendo DS that my mom had given me a few years ago, I turned it on and loaded up Mario Kart. Daemon did the same and we sat down under a tree, racing each other. Our already short time was cut even shorter when I felt something negative brush up against my conciousness. I looked up and shot a glare at the tall looking asian guy that walked towards us."Heh. If it isn't the jungle kid and barf head." I didn't mind the term "Jungle kid" at all, but I knew that Daemon hated insults directed at his hair style. I felt his rage and insecurity at the edge of my mind. I failed to notice though, my own level of anger.

Daemon quietly stuttered. "Uhm...Ku-Kura, calm down." I glanced to my side, surprised to see he had paled a bit. He silently motioned to his screen and my eyes briefly widened in shock to see that it had gone to static. I looked down to my own device and noticed the same. Unfortunately, I did far from calming down as the idiot standing in front of us decided to taunt even more. "What's the matter? Scared?" "Why don't you go get a life!" I snapped at him. He sneered at my response. "I have a life! You have nobody. You know why? Cuz you're nobody! You morons..." My eyes shot opened and I glared at him, feeling an electrifying rage fuel me. _Morons?! _"Who are you calling morons?!" I vaguely registered Daemon paling and baking up against the tree, both DSs buzzing with static. Next thing I knew, the guy had fallen to his knees and was clutching his head. "What the hell?!" I felt Daemon's hand on my shoulder as he shook me. "Sakura! Sakura, calm down!" I looked into his emerald green eyes and slowly took a few deep breaths. The thug got back up, still holding his head. He looked back over to us, looking dissoriented. "Dang. I shouldn't have drinken that much last night." He dizzily walked away. The first thing that registered in my mind was along the lines of: _Drinking too much?! The guy's like, 13 years old! _The second thing I registered was what had happened to the guy. Or more like, what I had caused him. I looked to Daemon, sensing fear from him. I suddently felt a bit ashamed of myself, my only friend being affraid because of me. I felt no shame for what had happened to that other guy though, he deserved it.

I stuttered a bit, still in slight shock from what I just did. "I...I did that?..heh..." Right then, the bell rang. As we walked back toward the main building, Daemon whispered to me before leaving for his own grade's area. "I never doubted you had the slender in you." I smiled. I knew he admired me, and I knew just at what extent. If his physical signs weren't enough, I could pretty much read his emotions. He wasn't any more than a friend to me though. I didn't like anyone... I spent the whole day, lost in thought. Even more so than usual. I kept thinking back over and over to what happened. There was no longer any doubts, I was a slender. The thought made me feel happy and it brought a smile to my face. I had spent my time growing up observing my father. I saw all the skills and powers he had. The idea that I too will be like that excited me. Of course, I did know I wouldn't be gifted. My mom was human, so I couldn't be. My dad was gifted. He could teleport, or slenderwalk as it is also known, to locations he had only seen in pictures. He could also do it accompanied with more people and with less effort than normal. It wasn't all that great, I know, but at least it was something.

When I arrived home that evening, I went to my mom's room. She was working on her computer. "Hey mom...uhm...I...Where's dad?" She turned and looked at me, eyeing me intently. I sensed her curiosity and slight worry. I didn't normaly ask to see my dad unless it had something to do with my powers, or lack of them for that matter. _Not anymore. _I grinned. "He should be in the garage. Why?" I felt uneasy. Even if I knew that's not what was going to happen, I feared punishment if my mom knew what I had done. "Uhm..I-I I think I might be starting to get my powers." Her eyes widened and then she started to smile. Her eyes unfocused briefly and I knew she was talking to dad through their minds. There was a slight drop of temperature before he materialized in the center of the room. At over 8 feet tall, the top of his bare head brushed up against the ceiling. "Sakura! What happened?" I looked down nervously before retelling the tale of this little display. Soon enough, two cool tendrills wrapped around my waist and I was hoisted into my father's arms who kissed the top of my head gently. I burried my face into his grey and blue striped scarf.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 3 Pain in the Silent Night**

When I went to change into my pyjamas, I grinned as I noticed that the marks on my back were darker than usual. They tingled when I touched them. I was slightly concerned when I went for a shower and felt a slight burning pain in their general area when the water poured on my back. I didn't question it though. If I was starting to show more and more powers, I could very well be getting tendrills of my own. I loved to watch my dad, especially when he was using his tendrills. They were dark, shadowy and semi-transparent. He often used them when he was working in the garage or doing work around the house, holding all kinds of things and even hammering in nails or changing a lightbulb. I was also familliar with how they felt to the touch, both warm and cold at once. They were soft and smooth, like some kind of fabric used in pyjamas or something. I also remembered something else my dad had told me though. _"Now Sakura, you see, when I first got my tendrills, it was awfully painful. It's not fast either. I had to stay home for over a week just to learn to controle them enough so that I could hide them."_ He was just 6 years old when this happened to him...

I was reminded of these words even more when I went to lie down to go to sleep. It started as just a mild discomfort, but soon, my back was in agony. I had to lie down on my stomach and tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. I got used to the burning pain and managed to ignore it, drifting slowly to sleep. My sleep, be it short or long, was interrupted though when, in the dead of the night, I felt the pain intensify. I cried out and gasped, bringing a hand to my back as I felt the four spots that were there. They burned as though they were set on a fire made of ice and snow and I managed to feel slight bumps there. I tried to get up and head over to the door, but fell to my knees before I could get halfway across the room. I bit down on my own tongue as I felt a pain rip through my back, followed by a horrible pulling sensation. Then, the pain died down. The burning in my back lessened to the point that I felt something heavy drapped down on it through the fabric of my pyjama shirt. The instant this registered in my mind, my eyes snapped open. I tilted my head back and gasped. In the darkness of the night, I could indeed see a set of four tendrills, each about 5 feet long, protruding from my back. They hung limply on the ground, looking lifeless. I tentatively moved my arm back to try to touch one, but the simple movement of my shoulderblades from this action brought a new wave of pain through me.

I winced and tried to get up, feeling weighed down. I struggled for balance but managed. At this point, they burned once again. I actually tried to take off my pyjama shirt, but it was as though they were part of the fabric too, having fuzed with it. I could do nothing to lessen the pain. There was only one person I knew who could help me right now. I struggled to advance, making my way to the door. My new apendages dragged on the floor, reigniting the burning pain. I wasn't even 10 feet out of my room before I leaned against the wall in the hallway, out of breath. The stairs that led to my parents' room on the top floor was just at the end and then the room was right beyond the stairs. It was only about 10 steps up, yeah, I could make it. I overestimated my self... I was barelly at the front of the stairs before it became unbearable. I collapsed on my knees once again, this time letting the tears out. For this being something I anticipated my whole life, I hadn't expected it to be this much torture. Squible scampered over from his little bed in my room and came by my side. I reached my hand up to him and scratched his head lightly. He sniffed one of the shadowy tendrills and I winced in pain when his little snout brushed up against it. My attention was brought back to my current mission. Swallowing back tears, I looked up at the top of the stairs once again. I knew I couldn't make it.

"D-Daddy? Daddy!" My voice wavered. I ached everywhere. I started to cry again. I heard very light footsteps and felt a very powerful presence at the top of the stairs. I cast a slight glance through my thick curled hair. My dad was up there, in his boxers. He was currently in human form and was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, not appearing entirely aware of his surroundings, then, his sky blue eyes fell on me through the darkness. "Sakura? Oh my God Sakura!" He rushed all the way down the stairs and kneelt down beside me. "You made it all the way here from your room?" I looked up at his face and nodded a bit. My head felt heavy and I was exhausted. He picked me up in his arms, being careful so nothing came into contact with my new tendrills. It felt as though I had lines sunken into the skin of my back with heavy stones attached to them. They also burned and felt numb. In other words, not very comfortable. I barelly registered the other set of footsteps at the top of the stairs, or the gasp as my mom ran down. "Tom, what happened?!" He looked up to her and smiled faintly. "Our little Kura's got tendrills." I felt the pride rayonating from them. I might have cared if I wasn't this tired.

My dad carried me to my room and laid me down on my bed, pulling the blankets back up to my waist. He scooped up all four tendrills and placed them differently. I winced and screwed my eyes shut in pain at the contact, but when he let go, I had to admit it was pretty comfortable. He kissed my forehead gently, strands of his curled brown hair tangling with mine. I had gotten my hair from him. He stood up and left the room, shutting the door quietly. I vaguely heard him talking to my mom. "Get a wet cloth, an ice pack and some scissors. We might want some medicine ready, she'll most likely get a fever." If they spoke more after that, I didn't hear it. Squible jumped up on the bed and curled up next to my neck, burying his little head under my chin. My eyelids felt so heavy and, despite the pain, sleep came very easily.

**AN: Heeeeeeeeeey! Ya. I'm probably not gonna write a chapter tomorrow, and technically, this is tomorrow compared to the day at which I started writing this chapter. I hope the story is ok so far. I think it's much better than my previous one...I'm expecting a minimum of 45 000 words from this one. And if I don't meet that mark by the end, well...I'LL MAKE IT LONGER! I hope this is ok...please let this be ok ;-;**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 4 So Many Visitors**

I woke-up feeling a dull pain all over me. At first, I didn't recall the events of the previous night, but then it started to come back to me. I briefly questioned if it was all a dream, but the numbness that filled me, concentrating around my back told me otherwise. I didn't dare move from my current position out of fear that it would reignite the burning pain I had felt last night. Squible was burrowing in my hair, a few stray strands falling onto my face and tickling me. One dropped on my nose and I sneezed, only to feel my new apendages recoil backwards and slam against the wall. I groaned at the pain, but it wasn't sharp and burning like the pain I had felt before. It was dull and numbing slightly like when you'd bump your elbow on something. I looked downwards and smiled appologetically when I saw the terrified squirrel that had jumped half way across the room from the sudden noise.

I finally decided to sit up, not feeling anymore pain, but rather simply feeling everything much more sensitivelly. I looked behind me in awe, taking hold of one of them and bringing it up onto my lap. It felt tingly when I touched it and it was like it could feel every single detail with it, even the pattern of my fingerprint. That's when I noticed that a wet cloth had been wrapped around my neck and an ice-pack was placed on my pillow. I also felt a bit of sadness hit me when I felt behind my back only to notice that part of my shirt had been cut up and pulled off, probably for comfort. I tried to move my new tendrills, but failed to get anything more than a twitch. At that moment, I heard a voice coming from down the hallway. It was my mom. "Yes, we're terribly sorry. Sakura won't be going to school today. She's not feeling very well. It's the stomach flu, really bad one too. She might even miss a whole week." As I listened to her, I almost laid back down, but remembered my current situation and decided otherwise at the last minute. Light footsteps were heard outside my room and my dad walked in. He smiled when he saw that I was awake. "Hey Kura, you feeling any better than last night?" I smirked and chuckled slightly. "Hard to feel worst." He smiled too. "Your grandparents are coming to visit you this afternoon." I looked up and smiled widely.

"Is uncle Leo going to be there too?" He nodded. I loved being with my dad's side of the family. My uncle Leo was pretty much the actual Slenderman...I could say my dad was too at some point. It's a long story, but back when my parents met, they used to go to these woods. When some company decided to cut the place down, my dad dressed up as the actual Slenderman to scare people away. Even if the company had stopped, Leo had taken over his brother's place and kept the legend alive. It was cool because he was also gifted with the power to erase some memories. It was a very rare gift. My grandparents, Charles and Martha...They were cool. I guess. I mean, sure I got along well with them and all that, but they always looked dissapointed. I knew they didn't like the fact I wasn't pure blood slender, and the fact that it took me this many years to even start showing powers told me they probably weren't pleased at all. It's like I was just never good enough. Dad must have picked up on my glum feelings, because he hugged me close to him, even wrapping a few of his tendrills around me. "Kura, sweetheart. You know grandma and grandpa love you." He brushed his fingers through my curled hair. He left the room shortly after, Squible following him. So I sat here all alone...

I knew Daemon was probably going to be worried about the fact that I'm not there. he'd probably drop by after school. My God was he going to be surprised. I smirked lightly at the thought. I don't know how long I laid down on my side, staring into space and thinking about everything and nothing at all. I was brought back to reality by a slight knock on my door. "Come in." "Helloooooooo!" My grandma chimmed as she walked in, followed by my grandpa and my uncle, who also brought his girlfriend Sandra. She was a slender too. I sat up again as I let them look me over. My grandma's pale blue eyes trailed over me and lingered behind my back. I swear I saw a tear at her eye. "Oh little Kura. You've finally grown up!" My grandpa chuckled, passing a hand over his bald spot that split his rapidly-greying-brown hair. "Wait until she changes for the first time." My eyes widened and I think I paled. That part had completly slipped my mind. I subconciously grabbed hold of my thick brown hair. Grandma smiled. "Oh don't worry, you'll look pretty either way. You're a very pretty girl." I smiled and looked down.

Morning passed by in a flurry. I got breakfast in bed while me and my uncle tried out the newest installment of Super Mario he had just gotten for me. I managed to get up and walk all by myself to go eat lunch, my tendrills trailing heavily across the ground behind me. At lunch, I looked to uncle Leo. "I've heard it said you got your tendrills and didn't tell anybody, and managed to hide them from everyone until you controlled them. How?! It hurts like mad." He chuckled. "I know it hurts. I have my own secrets." They didn't stay very long after that and all shifted to slender form before fadding away. I couldn't help but reach up to my face and pass a finger over my eyebrows. I knew I'd eventually lose this feature, although it was only temporarilly. Part of the conversation my dad had with my grandpa at lunch returned to my memory. _"She had a temendous use of her powers and then grew her tendrills the same night. It's like all her powers were ready, she just never triggered them. I'm guessing she'll be changing to her other form in as soon as 2 weeks." _I shuddered, both in disgust and excitement. That was always a part of what I was that, I'll admit, scared me. The thought of losing my face...

As expected, it was around 4:30 in the afternoon when I heard the doorbell ring. My mom's voice reached me from the ground floor. "Kura! Daemon's here to see you!" I got off my bed again and started to walk. I was only at my door when he rushed in and tackled me. "KURA! You weren't in school today and..." His voice trailed off and he backed away from me, finally noticing the reason for my absence. His mouth hung agape, eyes wide. I felt a sense of shock coming off of him. Soon, he hugged me again. "Oh my God, Sakura! You're an octopus!" I started laughing. I showed him the new game my uncle had gotten me. It's funny how casual it felt...after showing my best friend that I had sprouted tentacles overnight, we went to play the new Mario game my uncle, the Slenderman, had bought me. Of course, my dad was in my room in no time. This is what happens when he gets a day off. He becomes a kid again.

When Daemon's parents came to get him, they were also shocked at my new limbs. His dad, Johnny, was a bit more freaked out by it than his mom who was actually pretty enthuziastic. I even shocked myself when I managed to lift one of my tendrills ever so slightly off the ground to wave goodbye. After supper, I went upstairs to go have a shower, but paused briefly when I got in my room. Squible was still very much visibly puzzled as to what had happened to me. I stroked his head gently. "What am I going to do? What am I going to wear?! I have four tentacles, as wide as my arms, sticking out of my back!" My mom must have heard me because she walked to my room now, carrying a smile pile of new t-shirts of various colors. I noticed that the back of them had all been slashed down to make room for the apendages. "You won't need these anymore when you learn how to retract them and bring them out again." She left the room.

After a bit of struggle, I managed to get ready to take a shower. The water had such a sureal feel against my tendrills. I could feel every single droplet. I wondered if they were this way because they were brand new or if they'd always be this sensitive. I pulled on one of the new shirts after exiting the shower, struggling a bit once again, but I managed. When I went back to my room, I tentatively attempted to lie down on my back and was surprised when it actually worked. I felt no pain, just the same feeling as if I was laying down on my arm. My dad came to tuck me in, giving me a glass of water just in case I felt thirsty during the night. I knew Squible would most likely be the one to drink it though. Speaking of him, he leapt up onto my bed, sniffed cautiously each tendrill and then walked over by my face to check if I was ok. I scratched him behind his ear and he soon jumped off the bed to go lie down in his own little bed. It wasn't long at all before I drifted off into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 5 A Precious Gift**

Staying home was so boring. Not that I missed school, no. Most people there were bullies and if not, they just ignored my existance entirely. And it's not for classes either, no, my school was pathetically easy. Or maybe I was just too good... No, it was mainly because I missed Daemon that I found it boring. Sure, I had Squible and a massive quantity of video games, but I missed my only friend. He did visit me after school and I was thankful for that, I was waiting for him now. It was only 3 o'clock though. It's been 2 days since I grew my tendrills. I had learned to move them by now and I was currently holding up a peanut butter sandwich while Squible gnawed on it. He flicked his little bushy black tail around, his face covered in the tasty stuff. My dad had taken the time off work so he could watch over me and help teach me how to use all my powers. It was still a big shock for me.

I went to lie down on my bed, wrapping my tendrills around myself as I gazed at my ceiling. I had spent my whole life watching my dad use his powers. I had spent my whole life expecting to get some of my own, but after age 8, I had given up. It's been years I doubted them. Maybe those marks on my back were nothing but a coincidental birthmark, I'd think. But here I was now. I raised a single black and shadowy tendrill to inspect it. The sensativity had dulled down and I had enough controle to feel comfortable with just living by now. The first day was hell for me and I was still pretty clumsy. As if on cue, the dark appendage went flailing against the wall when I was startled by my squirrel jumping up on me. I ground my teeth, trying to keep back a cry of pain. They hurt less, but they still hurt. I had learned how to calm animals. My dad did it a lot. He could do it to people too, but he told me I wasn't ready. I looked into the creature's little black eyes and reached out to him with my mind. I made sure to only brush up against his conciousness so not to overwhelm him with the vastness of my mind and began to think calm thoughts. I smiled when I noticed his tail stopped twitching and he laid down on me, slowly closing his eyes. I reached out and scratched behind his ears.

"Little nature's spirit." For the second time, my tendrills flew out, two of them hitting the wall. I hadn't heard my dad coming. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that...I thought you'd sense me." I took the now sleeping squirrel and gently set him down on my pillow before sitting up. My dad sat next to me, looking attentively at my back, observing every single movement I made. At that moment, seeing him next to me, so many questions were brought back to the surface of my mind. I burried my face in his old grey and blue striped scarf. It smelled old and worn and was soft and warm from all the time he had been wearing it. "Daddy, where did you get your scarf?" He chuckled and released his own tendrills, wrapping me with them. I shuddered as I felt their cold contact against my own. "Well, my grandma made this for me. She gave it to me the day I changed for the first time..." His eyes had gone distant and I felt the sense of nostalgia coming off of him. The air darkened a bit though as he went on. "She died later that same day..." I felt my smile dissapear. My dad was six years old when he had gotten his powers. It must have hurt so much...both physically and emotionally. He looked back down to me, his sky blue eyes meeting my hazel-grey ones. "I've had it for years. It always reminds me that I have family that loves me, and that I'm more than just an ordinary person."

I decided to ask the one question that was really troubling me though. "Dad...what's gonna happen when I...y'know...when I ch-change?" I looked down, taking hold of a strand of my thick hair. I subconciously coiled my tendrills tightly around his waist. He chuckled a bit. "Well, first things first, stop constricting me please." That brought my smile back and I loosened my grip a bit. I felt static wash over me, calming me down. _So this is how Squible feels. I can see why he likes it. _He looked at me for a few seconds, as if trying to find words. He then hummed and looked away at the furthest corner of the room. "It's like...well...it's hard to describe. It's so far in my memory, but I do know it's a very distinctive feeling. You'll know it when you feel it. And don't worry about a sudden painful change like growing these." He said the last part gesturing to my tendrills. "You can feel it coming. Trust me." I nodded, feeling a bit reassured. I knew they'd send me back to school as soon as I mastered the use of my tendrills and learned how to retract them, so I was relieved that I probably wouldn't end up changing in the middle of class or something. That'd be a sure way of going from "freak" to "monster"...

I looked up to him again. "But, dad...I mean like... I don't know... I've always been excited about getting powers and all that and I've always wanted to be a slender like you, but that part always escaped my mind..." He tilted his head to the side. "What part?" I looked down again. "Losing my face..." I said it as a simple whisper, but he heard me. I felt the comforting sensation of static going through me once again. He grabbed my face and tilted it back up so I would look at him again. "Kura, look at me. I still have a face. It's not permanent, and nobody is forcing you to change to your slender form, or even use any of your powers after the first change." I looked down and nodded. "But daddy, how will I see?" He grinned and ruffled my hair. "You'll know it when you live it. Won't be too long now." I smiled, despite feeling an awful knot in my stomach. I knew he sensed my anxiety. I could feel his mind against mine. His already gentle expression softened even more. "Kura, look at me." I looked up at him and he raised a hand between us. I tilted my head to the side, in a way similar to the way he had earlier as I watched the skin tone go from tan to white. His eyelids fluttered shut only to seem to melt away along with his lashes and bushy eyebrows. His hair fadded and he grew quite a bit. I'm not sure how I knew when he returned his focus to me, seeing as he had no more eyes, but I felt his gaze fall back to me. There was a long moment of silence before I hugged him and burried my face in his belly. I felt calm. I knew I'd be ok.

His long pale fingers brushed the hair out of my face and he grabbed hold of the brown locks and held them back. "Sakura, would you like a present?" I looked up to his face, or lack of one. _Present? _I think I stopped breathing when he reached up to his neck and unwound the old scarf. He then proceeded to wrap it around my own neck. I was speechless. he had had that thing every single day for over 30 years! I finally found my voice. "Dad?...Are you sure?" He smiled and laid my hair back in it's wild and fluffy mane, a few strands falling in front of my eyes. He chuckled again and I sensed the amount of care coming from him. "So you know that you have family that loves you." I burried my face in his stomach once again, this time crying. I know it was just an old scarf, but it meant so much. I started giggling myself. "Please don't die today, daddy." He laughed and, had my mother been the narrator of this story, she'd have gone on and on about how amazing that sound was. Well, I guess I just went on about how amazing the sound was for her... Anyway, he hugged me tightly again. "No, Kura. I promise." He released me from his embrace and stood up. "I'm gonna go to Johnny and Angie's now. Their dog is acting kinda funny and I want to make sure he's ok." I nodded, clutching my new scarf tightly against my chest and watched him dissipate in a cloud of smoke. I looked at the time. 4:27! Daemon would be here in no time! And now that I had better use of my tendrills, I could go back to playing in the yard with him like before.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 6 Return**

God why did I have so much homework? Yeah Daemon came over for a visit and we played in the yard like usual. I was surprised at how easy it was to climb up trees when you bassicaly had 4 extra arms. He wasn't freaked out at all by my new appendages, in fact, he asked if he could poke them. I still kind of felt uncomfortable about all of this. Unfortunately, Daemon had also brought over some negative things: school work. All the work I was missing. I was currently holding an eraser in my left hand and a pencil in my right as I worked on some math problem right now in my notebook. The math textbook held at eye level by a tendrill. I had found so many uses to these things. I groaned in exhaustion. It wasn't that the work was hard, no, it was easy. It was the sheer number of work I had to do. I was on my fifth math problem now, and I still had 3 more to do. Then I'd have to do my English work and study for the history test and, apparently, I had a book to read now. I set down the pencil, running my hand over the scarf that was wrapped around my neck. As if on cue, my dad appeared in the center of my room, asking me if I needed any help.

Three hours later, along with a well deserved plate of fresh baked cookies, I was done with all, well, except for the book, but I didn't even have it yet, so at least I had that in less to do. I sat down on my bed to eat while Squible jumped up and sat next to me. I scratched his little fuzzy back and coiled a tendrill around him. He curled up and was sleeping in no time. As I absent-mindedly looked around the grey-pink walls of my room, I didn't really register my tendrills going limp, or curling up. When I felt Squible stir at my side, that's when I finally noticed that they were gone. I stood up and looked behind me in shock, careful as to not further disturb the squirrel. "Daddy!" I ran out of the room and to the living room where he was watching some documentary on wildlife in Kenya or something. He turned to look at me. "Yes Sakura?" He looked me over before his eyes focused on my shoulders and then widened. "Hey! Your tendrills are gone!" I smiled in pride and nodded. He got up and walked over to me, gently running his finger on the surface of the scarf he had given me. "That looks really nice on you, by the way." I sensed a certain air of sorrow from him. I felt so...special. That scarf was iconic to him. It was one of a kind and anyone who saw it could know right away who it belonged to.

He returned to the subject of my tendrills as he tilted his head to the side slightly. "Can you try to bring them back out?" I blinked. _How am I supposed to do that?! _He must have sensed my confusion because he smiled and pulled a strand of hair away from my eyes. "Just focus. Remember the way they felt. It's in your instinct, you'll see." As if to prove his point, he unleashed his own tendrills which wavered about as if pushed by a breeze only he was affected by. I looked down to my bare feet, thinking a bit. I remembered the way they felt, how sensitive they were, the way it felt like I always had something pulling at the skin of my back. I slowly felt my muscles tense up around my shoulderblades and an odd numbing and pulling sensation. I looked back up in pride when I succeeded on my first try. "My little fluffy sweethearts." Both me and my dad turned when we heard my mom standing in the doorway. She had her arms crossed over her thin waist and looked at us with shining brown eyes. She looked like she was about to cry.

I spent the next 10 minutes or so, sitting alone in my room, retracting and extending my tendrills. I finally chose to let them out and wrapped myself in them. I rested my chin up on my knees and looked at the walls. My back was pressed against the raspberry colored blanket which dangled at the side of my bed, my toes burried in the fabric of my carpet. I knew I had to go back to school tomorrow. Part of me was terrified I would mess up or something and accidentally use my powers. Squible scampered over by my side and started rolling around on the floor, as if he was trying to cheer me up. I looked in the mirror, gave myself a brave smile and a thumbs up and stood up to go for a shower. There was one thing I was so glad to finally be able to retract my tendrills for, and that was going for a wash. My God did it feel weird otherwise, and not the good kind of weird. I enjoyed a nice, warm and long shower for the first time in 5 days. On my way back to my room, I felt serene. Squible must have also felt all calm, seeing as he was already asleep in his little bed when I got there. I laid down in bed and waited for my mom to come see me.

"So, going back to school tomorrow, eh?" She tried to calm me down with her soothing voice, but I sensed that she was slightly worried too. She, being a human, was always more anxious about me and my dad's powers. He was perfectly calm though, and I trusted him. After all, he had gone through all of this himself when he was a kid. And more than half my age at that! Mom gently kissed my forehead and tucked the blanket over me. She looked at the night stand next to my bed, more specifically at the scarf that was laid down on it. I saw her faint smirk. "You know, your father never really parted with that thing. Even when he was the Slenderman, he'd wrap it around his waist under his shirt. He loves you very much to give you a gift like that." I looked back to the little knitted accessory and then to my mom again. I giggled a bit. "What? Are you jealous of me mommy?" She laughed and ruffled my hair a bit. "No, I'm sorry to brag, but he gave me an even better gift." I tilted my head to the side. "And what's that?" Her brown eyes shone through some long chocolate colored strands of hair as she looked at me. "You." Slowly, I felt a wide grin appear on my face. "Now sleep well, you've got school tomorrow. And it's Tuesday tomorrow, so you have one day in less before the weekend. " I nodded and looked at her as she got up and left the room, closing the lights and the door on the way out. All my worries were definately gone.

**AN: Hello population of the world! With all you Slovakians and Austrians and Americans and Brittish people and fellow Canadians. I feel so proud of myself :3 I noticed that much less people read this fanfic, possibly cuz it's not placed in the genre of romance :l I mean, who reads friendship stories XD I'm thinking of going back to Nature's Spirit to add a few things, lenghten some chapters and stuff...I'll also have some one shot stories about what happened between the two stories and stuff...ANYWAY, THANK YOU ALL :D And you, you one Slovakian...YOU ROCK! Even if I have no idea who the heck you are! I don't even know what Slovakia looks like... :s**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 7 Very Predictable Event That is Hopefully not Cliché**

I woke-up this morning to feel a dull pulse of energy echo through me. I remembered my dad's words on what would happen when I was going to change...But he did say slenders started to feel it hours before you even got close to changing. I gazed at myself in the mirror, anxiety obvious in my own eyes. So I could grow painful tentacles from my back, feel people's minds against my own and live with a slender for a dad, but the idea that I myself would just...lose my face...That scared me. Still, I got dressed, ate breakfast and headed to school. As my mom drove me there, I was absentmindedly gazing out my window. Her voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Nervous?" I smiled faintly and looked down, fiddling with the striped scarf. I knew I probably wasn't alowed scarves at school, but I'd be willing to challenge anyone who tells me to take it off.

As I arrived there, I began to look around the school yard. I spotted a single dot of bright green in the sea of colors. As soon as Daemon saw me, he ran towards me. "KURA! Thank God you're back! Now you can protect me from the bullies." I hugged him and laughed a bit. "Yeah. I'll fry their brains out with my epic slendy powers."I was so glad I had better controle of my powers now. Rather than feeling everyone's auras at once, giving me a buzzing migrain, I could focus on a single person at a time, or even shut my mind away from everyone. I honestly hadn't expected anybody to miss me at all, so imagine my surprise when several people came to me to ask me if I was ok. I unfortunately also got comments along the lines of "Aw get your germs away from me, freak." Around lunch time, I felt a second pulse of energy. It was more powerful than the first one and I shuddered, actually paling a little bit. Now I was slightly worried. "Hey Sakura, you ok?" I sensed the worry coming off of Daemon. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He raised a brow at my obvious incertitude. "Your powers?" I grinned and nodded, even if I was getting more and more nervous as time went along. I felt an other pulse only 2 hours later during English class, this time going really pale, but my colors returned fast. I felt yet an other pulse right as school ended, but I focused and only felt a dull shudder. We started walking towards where all the cars were and Daemon still looked at me intently.

"Yeah, Daemon. I'm fine. I'm just..." My words trailed off. He stopped walking, looking at me as if telling me to keep going. I saw curiosity in his emerald eyes. "I'm going to change soon..." His eyes went wide again. "You mean like...you're going to turn into a slender like your dad? With no face and hair and all?" I looked away. I was so nervous, I felt sick. He did lighten the mood quite a bit though with his next comment. "Aw darn it, you're already taller than me now." I laughed. It was true that I was several inches taller than him. I was a year older after all. My mom picked us both up and brought us home. In the car, I felt yet an other pulse. My mom noticed. "Kura, you feeling well?" I didn't feel like explaining it again, so I just looked at her and nodded, but I'm guessing she got the message from looking into my eyes, seeing as she raised a brow. I saw her at my side, the way she looked more distant than usual and smirked a bit. She was speaking telepathically with dad. I'd once asked my dad how this was possible, but he said he'd tell me when the time was right. From what I understood, a slender can only gain a mental link to a single person, and it lasts forever.

Me and Daemon chassed each other in the woods for a while. We then decided to play hide and seek. It was my turn to hide. I started climbing up a tree, but, only a few feet in the air, I was reminded of what could happen if I felt an other pulse. I climbed back down. I was running around, looking for a hiding place. I could still hear Daemon's counting somewhere behind me. "...27, 28, 29, 30..." Our set number was 50. I was running out of time... That's when an other pulse hit me. It sent shudders through me and I doubled over, paling a lot. I stood up shakily to notice that my tendrills had extended and that my skin tone wasn't returning to it's normal color. "Oh God..." No sooner did those words leave my lips that my whole body started to grow numb and I had to lean against a tree just to stand up. I finally decided to sit down. I couldn't stop this anyway. In the distance, I heard Daemon's voice. "Ready or not, here I come!" I tried to call out to him, but I couldn't find my voice. An other pulse coursed through me and I screwed my eyes shut and ground my teeth.

It wasn't painful like when I grew my tendrills, at least not now. I just felt so numb and tingly everywhere. I grabbed onto a strand of my hair for comfort, but it slipped from my grasp and I couldn't find it anymore. I winced when I felt a similar pain to when I grew my tendrills, only it was lower. I tried to bite down on my tongue to avoid letting out a scream, but I only felt a sharp pain as my teeth actually pierced my flesh and I tasted blood. Daemon's voice reached me again. "Kura? Kura!" I heard his footsteps against the dead leaves as he rushed over to me, but the world was blank and fuzzy and my mind was clouded. All my limbs felt numb as though they were covered in ice. When focus started to return to my mind, I felt weak and numb. I would have rubbed my eyes, but I knew it already that I no longer had any. My vision still returned to focus though, and I saw Daemon standing over me, pale and scared. I smirked a bit when I realized he was scared of me, yet he stayed because he also cared. I looked around. It was strange. Everything was slightly greyscale and blurred at the edges. I did also notice though, that my ability to sense auras was much stronger, as was my sense of smell. I felt the presence of a mouse scampering under the leaves, a robin in the tree, a squirrel running about, and the powerful sense of worry that came from my best friend. I tried to sit up a little, but I felt a sharp pain in my back, under my tendrills. He must have caught my slight gasp because he got closer to me. "Sakura? Hey are you ok?!" I lifted my head slightly to look up at him and smiled again. "Yeah, Daemon. I'm fine." I saw him bend down and dig a bit through the leaves. Before I could ask a question though, he pulled out my bright pink floral hair clip from the ground and handed it to me. "You dropped this..."

I extended a much longer white arm and took the clip carefully. My fingers were shaking. I held in my breath, unable to breath out. I raised my other hand shakily to the top of my head. I could only feel smooth skin. My mane of brown curls was gone. I suddently felt really scared. I clutched the scarf my dad had given me as tightly as I could. I tried to get up, but struggled for balance. Daemon rushed to my side to help me. He was only 12, but he was still so helpful. When I stood up at full hight, I noticed the source of the new pain in my back, which had amazingly already died down. Four new tendrills underneath the old ones, completing my set of 8. I was surprised at how easy it was for me to move my four first tendrills. I could bend and twist them in ways I never could as a human. I was also shocked at how quickly I was able to lift up the new four. My dad was right when he told me once that we had better controle over our powers in slender form. Both me and Daemon were in awe. He broke the silence first. "And I thought you were taller than me before..." I laughed, until my tooth/fang poked the inside of my cheek. I did stand over 6 feet tall now, towering over his already less than average size for a 12 year old guy. "We should head home fast." I struggled to walk at first with these abnormaly long limbs as well as a grand total of eight tendrills, but I finally managed.

_Two men in black suits rushed in a dimly lit room, one carrying a notepad, the other a camera tape. Three more men were in the room. Two of which were dressed with ties, looking much fancier than the rest. They were the obvious leaders. "Sirs, we have news." One of the two leaders raised a brow at this. He motioned to the worker to speak. "We have a new target." "And what is so special about this?" "This one's 13 years old." Both men raised a brow and looked at each other before sending the rest of the men away. "So, Eric. What should we do about this?" The second man looked away pensively. "Same as we always do with our targets. Prepare for capture, Allan." _

**AN: DUNDUNDUNNNNNNNN OK HI. Wow this is a long chapter. So yeah...things are starting to get interesting... You'll all just have to wait and see. I'd just like to say thank you to Violet Petunia btw, I've never seen anybody review as much as you do...on anything...EVER. I'll call you the review master, if that's ok. I've thought about the ideas you gave me, and I must say...I think I'll pass on guys flirting with Sakura...but stuff is gonna happen...I don't wanna spoil anything, but Johnny's gonna become a main character pretty soon. Funny cuz he was a minor character in the first story and like...neevr mentioned here...well, HIS REAL LIFE INSPIRATION WAS UPSET HE DID NOTHING XD So...you're gonna do something. Until then, thank you all...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 8 The Chapture After the Chapter With a Really Long Name**

Shaky step after shaky step, I was slowly making my way home. I could feel my mom's aura and Angie's several feet away. I searched a bit and found Squible. I also picked up on my dad, who was in the house. I think he felt my conciousness reach his, because I felt his presence strenghten around my mind. It was mainly worry that came off of him, but it turned to curiosity and finally inquisition. I shooed his mind away from my own, which was very difficult. I decided to stop trying to see with my aura and try to see with...whatever the heck it was I was seeing with. The greyish and blurry world bent light in different ways than the one seen with my human eyes. Dark corners didn't seem dark at all anymore. Soon, I saw our moms in the yard. My mom was gardening, catering to her three "special trees". It was a blue pine, meant to be her, with a willow, obviously my dad. Between them, there was a cherry tree. As soon as my mom turned and saw me, she dropped her tools to the ground and looked me from head to feet. She then sprinted across the whole yard and embraced me in a warm hug. "Sakura..."

It felt so strange because I now actually stood taller than her. I honestly wasn't sure what to do. She spoke again. "I know they say kids grow up so fast, but this is ridiculous!" I giggled, only to have to stop when my new fangs poked at the inside of my mouth once again. I noticed Angie who sat back and watched in awe. She walked over and held on to her son's hand, her eyes never leaving me. She spoke in a stunned whisper. "She's just like her daddy, eh Sarah?" I placed a hand on the scarf he gave me and looked away. I still wasn't sure how seeing worked, but it did. My mom turned around to call for dad, but she didn't even get a word out and he slenderwalked right next to us. "I saw from the upstairs window..." His voice was like a whisper. He eyed me just like my mom did. Or at least that's what I think he did...he didn't exactly have eyes either right now. One of his tendrills gently caressed my cheek. Our moment was interrupted when I felt something leap up on my pant leg. I looked down to see Squible, looking very unsettled and worried. His tail was flickering about. I picked him up and raised him to eye level. Well...I think you get it by now. "Yeah, little buddy. I still smell the same but I look different, right?"

I heard Daemon's voice rise up from next to me. "My God when dad sees this, he's gonna freak out." Me and my dad laughed. I noticed my mom's eyes get dreamy from hearing that...I didn't understand how a laugh could impact a person that much. It was just a distortion of air... But it was true that Johnny wasn't exactly comfortable with slenders around... He was great friends with my dad and all, until the guy decided to bring out the tendrills... I compared my tendrills to my dad's. Mine were darker and slightly stiffer, where as his had a certain misty semi-transparent feel and flowed with the breeze. It actually didn't take long at all for me to figure out how to change back to human form. That was still the freakiest feeling I had ever gotten in my life... I was glad to see the world defined and in color once again, but for some reason, I felt...I don't know... like I had a plastic bag wrapped around my skin. I did feel much more comfortable in my other form. Squible looked at a loss. Poor little squirrel...his little rodent mind didn't understand all the changes going on. He sure seemed relieved to see my hair though, as he burrowed his way in it and made a little nest. I was pretty happy with the world. What could possibly go wrong?

I laid in bed that night, about to fall asleep, when both my parents walked in to wish me a good night. I know, I know. I'm 13 years old and my parents have to tuck me in before I go to sleep. My mom says she had a stuffed animal until she was 19, so I'm not too bad. Well...she didn't have her parents tuck her in... I gave a thought to my grandparents on my mom's side...I never really met them. They knew my dad was a slender, and they were aware I was to be one too, but the last time I saw them, I was only 5 years old. I looked up when my mom walked out of the room and I was left alone with my dad. My eyes met his in the dark and he stroked my hair gently. "Little Kura, you're growing up so fast." He extended a single shadowy tendrill and wrapped it around my wrist. I decided to do the same to him. I had never sensed so much pride from him... He chuckled and kissed the top of my head, getting up and starting to leave. He turned around one final time before reaching the door. "Good night little Slender." I giggled and whispered back. "Good night, daddy slender." He smirked and left. I drifted off into one of the best sleeps I had ever gotten in my life, wrapping my tendrills around myself and curling up in all the warm blankets.

_A group of men dressed in black stood outisde, in a small wooded area. "This is where we picked up the sudden spike in static energy, and several yards over there is the forested area where we observed the girl change. This is private property. She obviously lives here." One of the men started to walk closer to the area and contemplated the lights shining through the windows in the house that sat beyond the small wooded area. He walked a bit closer. "Not now David. Tomorrow, we go for it." The man turned and returned to his coworker. "After school hours?" The other man nodded. "After school hours..." They all walked back into their white van and drove off, leaving the air feeling tense and eerie._

**AN: This is an author's note. That was an author's note. Thank you, goodbye.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 9 Capture**

An other simple boring day at school. My powers had finally stabilized. All that was left for me to gain was the ability to slenderwalk, and that wasn't something you gained on your own. My dad had told me it was the one power that needed to be thought to the child by the parent. An adopted slender in a family of humans will never learn to slenderwalk. I spent most of the day thinking over and over about all this. Only 2 weeks ago, I doubted I even had any powers at all. I thought I was just meant to be an ordinary human. Now, I had woken up that morning, 2 feet taller than normal and without a face. My dad said it was normal for slenders who were just gaining their powers to change in their sleep. It was still a pretty big shock for me though...

I sat at the complete back of the math classroom, eyeing the clock impatiently. It was only about 15 minutes until the school day was over, then I could go meet up with Daemon and we'd go to the little park with the ducks that was close to school. I thanked the fact I was alone in the back, it gave me an oportunity to let my tendrills out a bit, although I had to be careful. I figured out how to extend them solid all the way, so they didn't just phase through the materials of my shirt and stick out. Instead, they were wrapped around my waist, underneath my shirt. The strange warm but cool sensation felt pretty good against my skin and it also felt good to have them out. Otherwise, I felt like I always had a slight pressure on my back, like if I always had my backpack on. The bell finally rang, snapping me from my thoughts. I quickly, and stealthily, retracted the shadowy apendages into my back, got up and left.

I came across Daemon in the hallway, he was drinking at the water fountain. Without a sound, I made my way over to him. "Waddap Mon?" He chocked on his water and turned around before he started laughing. "Hey Kura. I'm actually surprised you never did that joke before!" He looked me in the eyes, looking happy, but I could sense his uneasiness. It would make sense, he had witnessed my first transformation after all. I understand why that would be troubling. We walked out of the school and on to Angie's car. She drove us to the park. Me and Daemon were mostly silent along the way, only breifly exchanging words on how our individual classes went. His mom looked somewhat sad at the obvious tension between the two of us, but I sensed it in his aura that he still cared very deeply for me. A malicious grin suddently spread it's self across my face. I extended a single dark tendrill as he was turned towards the window and, in silence, flicked the hood of his sweather over his head. By the time he turned, the appendage was gone. "Kura..." He gave me a death glare and I couldn't help but giggle.

When we finally got there, Angie took some bread out of the trunk and gave it to us. "Now don't wander off too far, ok?" I nearly jumped back in shock when, among the bread in the bag, a black mass started to move. "Squible! What are you doing here?" The squirrel munched on his little piece of bread, looking pretty proud of himself. I scooped him up and placed him on my shoulder, where he didn't hesitate to curl up in the curled strands of hair. Me and Daemon raced towards the pond. After a couple dozen minutes of feeding the birds, me and Daemon decided to play hide and seek, to make up for what happened last time we tried to play. It was my turn to count. I promised I would be fair and not use my powers to find him. I heard his footsteps behind me as he slowly walked away and I counted. Finally reaching 50, I turned around. "Ready or not, here I come!" Instantly, something felt...wrong... Maybe it was just the ominious grey clouds and the slowly falling leaves, but it seemed as though something bad was going to happen. I ignored the feeling though and began to search. Squible's ears were perked up and he looked around us nervously, his tail flicking about.

I reached a clearing and stopped dead in my tracks. Daemon was here all right...being held back by a rather tall and bulky man dressed in black. No sooner was I out of the bushes that more of them emerged and surrounded us. I couldn't sense their auras, I couldn't find their minds. I then noticed they all had odd metallic devices on their heads. I began to freak out and tried to get away, but an other one of the men caught me and clamped a hand over my mouth. He was wearing thick leather gloves, so bitting him to get free was out of the question. Squible leapt off me and ran towards the man holding Daemon and sank his little fangs into the man's leg. He let out a yelp and fell backwards, giving Daemon enough time to shout. "HELP!" But a hand soon covered his mouth again. My eyes were open wide, my mind was racing. I did the first thing I could think of, releasing my tendrills and trying to fend them off. "Oh no you don't freakshow, you're ours now." Two more men joined him and pinned my tendrills at my sides. They pinched them in a way that hurt with a sharp electrical pain. Tears came to my eyes. We were bound in heavy ropes. I was tossed in the back of a white van, Daemon as well. That's when I noticed the men holding Squible by the tail, ready to throw him. The little squirrel was writhing and squeeling in confusion, fear and pain.

I was now enraged. I kept calm, being bound in ropes and all, but my mind was nowhere near calm. All the men fell to the ground, clutching their heads. I ripped through the rag that kept me from talking and screamed. "PUT HIM DOWN!" The men, still holding their heads, looked at each other in shock. One of them, seemingly the leader finally yelled despite the pain. "Give her the squirrel! Now!" Squible was tossed against me and I calmed down. The leader looked obviously perplexed, and somewhat scared. Whatever devices those were on their heads that blocked me from their minds, I had managed to break through them. As the door was shut and the men began to retreat into the vehicle, I felt a familiar presence from outside. Angie. I focused as hard as I could to try to comunicate to her, to tell her to stay put. I felt a slight tension in her aura, so I guess she got the message to hide. I heard the sound of an engine coming to life and the van started to drive away. In the darkness, I let out a single sighed sentance, hoping to brighten the mood up even a little to keep Daemon okay. "When will we ever get to play hide and seek uninterrupted?

**(Angie's P.O.V.)**

I watched as my son and my best friend's daughter were taken away by these strange men. I wanted to run at them. I wanted to fight. I wanted to leap out of my hiding space from behind this tree and charge at the vehicle while they were disstracted. I have to say, I was impressed by the little slender. She knocked all of those men back with her mind alone, all the while, they were wearing weird devices which seemed to have the purpose of blocking her powers. I finally decided to stay behind when I felt a presence against my mind. Tom had come into contact with my mind before, so I knew it was a slender's contact. I felt all the horrible worry, anxiety and fear. I knew it was Sakura. What surprised me though, was that she wasn't asking for help. She wanted me to stay put. The feeling that was the strongest was a feeling of concern. Not one for her, but for me. Still, my son was in there! My 12 year old only child... I placed a hand on my stomach. _For now. _He'd never even know...never even know he was going to be a big brother. No! I had to save him. I could save him... But not alone.

That's when I understood Sakura's logic. If I rushed in there, I'd be captured too, or killed. I didn't know who these people were, what they were capable of or what they wanted, but if I escaped, at least I could tell what happened. We had a chance of finding them... If I had jumped out and went after them, we'd all be gone. I sat there by that tree for an other good 10 minutes before I finally got up. I felt a horrible emptiness through all of me. My mind couldn't accept that this had happened. This had to be a nightmare, right? But I knew it wasn't... I drove towards the Oakson house.

Sarah was outside. She went to me to greet me, but paused when she saw the kids weren't there. There was a flash in her eyes and I knew she was speaking to Tom. He appeared by our side in an instant. Silence. Nobody spoke, just stared for a bit, then I fell to the ground and burst into tears.

**AN: Finally did this chapter! Omg... I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a while...so i'll reward all of you with a special! I'll try to write 2 more chapters tonight! Right now I have to go do dishes though, so... And ya...finally introducing multiple points of view. Johnny is gonna be a major character later in the story and the POV will alternate between him and Sakura, sometimes going to Angie or Sarah, maybe Tom but Idk... So ya...Angie is pregnant =o And her big boy got kidnapped...WHAT DO THESE PEOPLE WANT?! Keep reading to find out more!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 10 Bonjour**

I don't know how long we were in the back of that van. I transmitted that static sense to Squible until he fell asleep. Daemon was leaning against me and I could feel every shake of his body as he sobbed in silence. I know I shouldn't be doing this, as I wasn't very experienced, but I reached out to him with my aura, focusing on calm thoughts. He tensed briefly, obviously not used to the feeling, and then slowly calmed down, letting out a shaky breath. "T-Thanks, Kura..." We didn't speak more than that. I was scared. I was down right terrified! Where were we going? What was going to happen to us? Why were we taken? I had a strong suspicion that it had something to do with me being a slender. In that case Daemon didn't belong here. It was all my fault that he was here! He shouldn't be here...If I was just a normal human, he wouldn't have been taken too. In the darkness, I felt his hand close around my wrist. "Don't blame yourself."

I grinned and reached to him with my closest tendrill. We were still restrained in the thick rope, but we had been given enough loose to move around, and I had managed to remove the rag from his mouth so we could speak. We both knew that nobody would hear us if we screamed for help ayway... Finally, the van stopped. I winced a little when the door was opened and light reached my hazel-grey eyes. I instinctively lowered my head to try to block out the sun's rays with my hair. It worked to a certain extent. We were brought out of the van, Squible clinging to my shoulder desperately. I looked around us, we were in the forest, but not one I recognised. It seemed to go on for miles and as far as I could extend my aura, I felt nothing other than us and a few normal woodland critters. We started walking towards the base of a mountain, which had a large steel door. On the inside, it was a long, dull and grey hallway that reached in, lit poorly by a few old and cold lamps. A man, obviously a janitor with his mop and all, was cleaning a corner of the hallway when the man who had held Daemon earlier motioned to him. "Hey! Frank! Get over here!" The man shakily stepped over to us. I tried to reach to him with my mind, seeing as he didn't have any weird head devices. He looked at me with worried chocolate brown eyes. I sensed enormous guilt and sorrow from him, but also a resignation to do this. "Yes, sir?" The man, David, pushed us roughtly towards him. "Take these kids to the cell." The janitor looked back up to us, a curious look in his eyes. "Are they both..." "Just the girl is. But the boy was with her and saw us." I knew they were talking about me being a slender...just who were these guys?!

As we were walked down the long and dark halls by this janitor, I decided to ask him questions. "I'm sorry, lil' lady. I'm just the janitor so I don't know much... But this is the headquarters for Shadow Blood, top secret Canadian government branch dedicated to the research of slenders. Sometimes, the people take members of your kind and bring them here...always little kids...little innocent kids..." He looked down and I knew he didn't approve of his job. Further down the hall, I saw a second person mopping the ground, this time, a little boy. He had dark skin and black hair and was probably around 8 or 9 years old. He looked up at Frank with worried brown eyes when he saw us. "Juan! These are the new kids. This one's name is..uhh..." He motioned to my friend by my side. "Daemon." He had answered briefly and was obviously scared. Frank nodded and turned back to Juan. "Daemon. He'll be your fellow trainee." Daemon turned to him, fear and anger in his emerald eyes. "Say what?!" Juan and Frank looked away and the older male began to speak. "Juan came here 2 years ago along with his twin brother, who had only recently changed to his other form. They were the first people ever captured. Juan was human, so he ended-up being a janitor trainee...and you will too, kid. It's what happens when humans get here." I felt cold anxiety rip at my insides. "W-what about me?..." The man looked to me again, sadness in his eyes. "I don't know..." We arrived to a cell at the end of the corridor and were locked into it, the janitor pair leaving, Juan's eyes lingering on us a little longer.

Squible jumped down from me and began to scamper around the bottom of the cell. Daemon sat on the floor, back against the wall and giving a sigh of defeat. That's when I noticed that we weren't alone in here. Across the room, there was a little girl with blonde hair, and she was crying. At first I thought I only looked quickly, but as I looked again, I let my mouth hang agape. It wasn't the fact that she had tendrills that shocked me, it was that she had _6_. It was a very rare gift, even rarer than the power to remove memories. An additional set of tendrills... I extended my aura to her and she looked up with puffy eyes, redened from crying. She sniffled a bit. "Hey." She tilted her head to her side and looked at me funny. "Bonjour?"(Hello?) My eyes widened a bit. She speaks French... Good thing I knew some, but Daemon didn't. He'd be confused by this... I brought my attention back to the girl. "Quel est ton nom?" (What's your name?) She looked to me and sniffled again, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Laurianne." I nodded. "Quel âge as-tu?" (How old are you?) "6" I nodded again, this time giving her a sad smile. Several minutes later, all introductions set asside and me acting as a translator for the most part, and we knew pretty much all that needed to be known about each other. Juan brought us a meal of beef and a few vegetables. It wasn't that bad actually... He and Daemon signaled to each other. They were the only two humans in the room. After he left and the food was done, I curled up in a corner of the cell, Squible lying close to my neck and wrapped myself in my tendrills. At least the ground was soft... I clutched my dad's scarf close to me and prayed that we would be out of here soon. I had family that loves me, and I'm more than just a normal kid...

(Angie's P.O.V.)

Stunned silence. That's all it was when I told everybody what happened. My husband was at my side, clinging to my arm and trying very hard not to cry. Sitting across from us were Sarah and Tom, the slender clinging on to the woman with his tendrills and crying. Sarah's face was burried in his chest and she played with strands of his curled brown hair, the hair Sakura had inherited. The kids were gone...they were gone and I had no real idea of where they were. Finally, through the crying, Tom returned to us, wiping tears from his sky blue eyes. He sneered, showing his much longer and pointier than average teeth. "Can you remember any detail that could help? Anything at all?!" I was in shock at the time...I couldn't remember much...But I then remembered one phrase that one of the men had said. _"Good, we got'em. Now off to Pinemount." _"What's Pinemount?" Tom and Sarah both perked up at this new information. Johnny looked worried, but he still kept his arm over my shoulder protectively. "It's a mountain in the center of a forest not too far from here...it's woods for miles around it though, and there's no trails leading there." Tom spoke slowly. He looked down to his feet before continuing. "I haven't been there before so I can't slenderwalk there...but I know where the edge of the forest is." "Take me there." I turned in shock to Johnny, who had spoken. He spoke the words with such finality. He held my hand tightly, knowing he would stop at nothing to rescue his son.

Tom looked at him calmly. He finally spoke again, no longer showing emotions in his eyes. "I'll go with you." Johnny shook his head. "No, I'm getting the kids out of there. The animals at the clinic need you, and you already took a week off when Sakura got her powers..." The slender seemed to tense a bit, but he sighed. He agreed. My husband, the last one of my family to be with me that remained, _well...concious and visible... _was going to go on a long journey through the woods to get these kids...all by himself... If only I had watched them better, none of this would have happened. As the men left the room, me and Sarah looked at each other. She rushed across the room and embraced me into a warm hug. We just cried in each other's arms. Maybe we were 38 years old, but we had a reason to cry. Between chocked sobs, I managed to speak. "He...H-he was g-g-going to b-be a b-big brother..." I felt my friend tense up in my arms a bit, but she relaxed. Regaining her confidence, she spoke again, assuredly as though her words were pure fact. "He WILL be." I believed her. As we seperated and sat back down side by side on the couch, she still had warm tears going down her face. I was just stopping my sobs. Sarah fiddled with her engagement ring, an amethyst carved Master Ball. Before I left with my husband, she spoke to me, this time managing a grim and sad smile, but a smile none the less. "Congratulations, by the way..." I also smirked sadly and left.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 11 Johnny's Adventure Begins.**

I showed up at that fancy big old house in the west part of town as I often did when my son was here. Tom was waiting for me. He'd take me to the forest, then, I'd be on my own. Me and Tom had both agreed that I was the one who should go, seeing as the animals needed him at the clinic. We couldn't call for the cops either, what would we say? "Hey dudes, our kids were kidnapped by men in black suits because his daughter is a supernatural being with tentacles out of her back." I doubt that would go too well. My wife was in the passenger seat, looking out the window, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Despite being so destroyed, she was still beautiful. I looked down to her belly, having only ressently found out that we were going to have a second child. All the more reasons for me to go out and find my first one. We parked the car and got out, me going to my old pal to shake his hand. I saw it in his blue eyes that he had cried a lot. I did too... They say men don't cry... That's a lie. Sarah and Angie would stay here for a bit and Tom would teleport me to the closets place to the forest he could. We were great friends and all, having gotten to know each other better through out the years, but he still freaked me out whenever he did...whatever the heck it is slenders do.

"So Johnny, you ready?" I looked over my supplies. I had water bottles, bread, crackers, cookies, beef jerky, some cans of soup...yeah I was good. I nodded, not really looking at him. I was curious about one thing though. "So, when I find them...how do I get out?" His eyes widened and he quickly dug through his pockets, pulling out an old walkie-talkie looking thing. "When you find them, get to some place high up. Sakura might climb up a tree with this if you want it to work better. Turn it on and call for me. I'll be at the place where I dropped you off in the first place. You should try to find landmarks to get back there." I nodded. "Then I'm ready." I went to say goodbye to Angie one last time for I don't know how long, kissed her with as much passion as I could and stood back next to Tom. The already tall man changed to his even taller and somewhat freaky form. He wrapped a few of those black tentacles around my arm, giving me shivers of discomfort. Next thing I knew, I felt this weird numb and tingly sensation and we were standing at the edge of a massive forest, in a little picnic area by a stream. The faceless man looked down to me. "I went here for a picnic once a few years back. This is where I'll come get you when you find them." I saw him hesitate on the word "when". I gave him a determined look and boldly grabbed his arm. I never reached up to him in slender form normally. "I WILL find them. I promise you, Sarah, Angie and my unborn child that I'll come back with the kids." He gave me a brave smirk and nodded, shaking my hand before he dissapated. I was left alone. I began my long journey through the forest...God I wish I was a survival expert...

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

"Donc vous venez de où?"(So where do you come from?) I looked at the inquisitive little girl and then to Daemon. He was playing with Squible, feeding him some of the little fruits that Janitor Frank had sneaked to us. We weren't supposed to have them... The man was a good person. I turned my attention back to Laurianne and answered her question. "Montréal." Her sparkling blue eyes brightened up instantly. "Moi aussi!" (Me too!) Daemon gave a loud sigh and began to complain again. "I can't understand a word you two are saying!" I smirked at him in a devious way and answered. "Well she can't understand us either when we speak English!" Sometimes I hated being the barrier between two languages... That's when I noticed Frank and Juan coming in the room where the cell was. They remained silent, giving us no attention at all, scanning every detail of the room. They then walked off in silence. This was the third time they did this since we got here...and I don't think it's normal behavior. Laurianne also noticed. I saw her try to stand up and walk, but her long tendrills dragged on the floor and she winced and fell. I went to help her sit up. "Elles sont nouvelles?" (They're new?) She looked into my eyes and nodded, her face showing pain. I didn't know how to help her like my dad had helped me. All I could do was send her static and hope it helped.

Frank returned to the room at what I assumed was supper time to give us food. I decided to talk to him more, but the thought of surveillance cameras made me look around. He must have noticed because he started to chuckle. "Cameras are useless in a facility that deals with slenderfolk. Say whatever you want, nobody's watching except for the living, breathing, organic person that is me." Daemon stood up from his corner, Squible clinging to his slightly-less-than-neon green hair. "What's the deal with this place?" The man glanced at the little girl in the corner, thinking for a bit. He then returned his attention to me, biting the inside of his cheek. "This is a research lab...for studying slenders... they catch them right when they gain their powers, that way it's sure what they are and they're too young to escape. Our first 3 slenders who ever came here were Juan's brother, a little girl and an other boy some time later. All three were normal, or not gifted as you may know. Then there was one who could fade in the shadows for a bit. She managed to hurt a lot of people that day. That's when they came up with the head protection. After, couple days ago, they picked her up." He motioned to Laurianne who looked up from being pointed at, but didn't understand why. I smilled faintly at the innocence in her eyes. "As you can tell, she's got six of them tentacles. The others all had 4 when they were human. They picked her up cuz of that. Then they found you... The oldest slender we ever captured. That's why they've been interested in you. You're an anomalie." I looked down to my hands, willing enough energy to make them go white but not enough to fully change. He looked at me curiously.

That's when I decided to ask what he and Juan were doing since earlier, checking the place out like that. "Isn't it obvious? I'm sick and tired of all this. All these kidnappings and child abuse. I'm busting you five out of here!" I blinked and stepped back in surprise. "We're gonna escape?" The janitor nodded once again. "Yep. You, Daemon, the little girl, Juan and the squirrel. Give us a few days..."

**AN: YAAAA This story is gonna be much MUCH longer than Nature's Spirit...but, after I'm done with this, I'll go back to Nature's Spirit and improve it greatly. I'll then come back to this and correct all my mistakes...wow typing fanfictions has made me realize I'm slightly dyslexic XD So many mistakes... I hope it doesn't get in the way too much...I'll try to correct the mistakes I made so far in this story, while I still have all the documents... Thank you all for reading, next chapters will be up soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 12 Run Towards and Run Away**

Leaves crunched under my black boots as I walked through this seemingly never ending forest. It would be night time soon, night time of the first night out looking for the kids. I found some neat little area, where all the trees were apart and the ground had very few leaves on it. It was surrounded by thick evergreens. I set up a tent, rolled out my sleeping bag and made a little pile of wood. Pulling out my lighter, I ignited the pile, enjoying the warm flames. This was the Canadian wilderness, in middle October at that. It got cold out here.

I looked up to the stars. I had never realized how many more stars there were out in the country. I had never really left the city that much. Me and my wife had a band, but it was a very small band...we didn't leave the city that much, and when we did, we just went to an other city. I closed my eyes and decided to go back into my tent. As I laid there, I felt something. Some kind of strange static buzz. It made the hair at the back of my neck stand up. I opened my eyes, but didn't dare go out of the tent. This wasn't Tom, but I knew it was one of those dark beings. It could be hostile. I held my breath and remained still as the minutes ticked by. Finally, the presence lessened and left. I wasn't alone out here...

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

I woke up that morning to someone shaking my shoulder. I tiredly tried to swat away the annoyance, but missed entirely and my hand came into contact with hair. "Ow! Hey Kura! Wake up..." Groaning a little bit, I tried to sit up and open my eyes, but I failed at both and face planted right on the carpet that covered the ground. That's when I understood. This time, taking more care, I pushed myself off the ground and allowed my vision to focus. It was awful how this already grey place looked through my slender vision... I looked up to Daemon who had a brow raised, Squible hiding in his hair and eyeing me anxiously. I then noticed Laurianne who was staring at me with mute facination. Rubbing my arm nervously, I ducked my head. "Sorry...I forgot to mention that I might change in my sleep...heh..." Daemon looked at me from head to toe before laughing a bit. "Don't appologise. You look pretty cool even like that." Despite his kind words, I noticed he looked away as he spoke. Be it from fear or shyness, I didn't know. Laurianne aproached me, now able to lift her tendrills above the ground with more ease, and looked at me with her bright eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but shut it again and just continued to look.

It was only then that I noticed a few men out the cell, looking at me intently. One of them was taking notes. I was sick of being treated like some stupid experiment. I knew it wouldn't do much of anything, but I curled my lip up and hissed at them, showing my sharpened fangs. One of the men looked worried and left before the other two who continued to observe me for a few minutes. After they left, I burried my lack of a face in my scarf. I know I have family that loves me...I will see them again..I will get out of here. I willed myself to change back to human, as I saw that there was a lot of tension in the cell from me being a slender. I felt relieved when my curled brown hair returned. I subconciously clung to a strand of it and twirled it around. Squible jumped back on my shoulder, rubbing his head on my cheek happily. Why did I ever want to be a slender? Nobody liked me that way and all it did was get me, and my innocent, normal best friend in trouble. The thought of having Frank take Squible and set him free in the forest while Daemon and Juan escape came to my mind. I could just stay here...be treated like the freak of nature that I am. I hadn't noticed the drop of temperature in the room or the glum and tense feeling that spread around, all this generated by my aura. Daemon knelt down next to me and hugged me. "Don't worry Kura, we'll be out of here soon." I smiled and nodded.

Hours went by until it was past supper time. That's when Frank came in with his mop. We perked up at the sight of him at an unusual hour. It meant it was time... From the ropes of his mop, he pulled out the key and unlocked the door. Thank God this was a slender research lab, so there were no cameras anywhere. Even if there were, I could make them useless anyway. The man spoke, giving us instructions. "Go upstairs and hide in the supply closet. Juan will be waiting for you in there. I'll run to the guards and tell them you attacked me with your mind and ran the opposite way. Juan will take you where you need to go the rest of the way." Daemon and Laurianne took my hands and started to walk away, but I didn't move. I looked back to the man that helped us escape. The man that went against his job, snuck in food for us and let us run away from this place, all knowing it could get him fired...or worst... "Mr...why are you doing this? Why help us?" He smiled weakly. "I've worked here for years. I was friends with the leaders, Eric and Allan, when they were kids. Or more like brothers... I was adopted. Recently found out about my real family though... and what my mother was." My eyes widened as I understood. He then motioned to us to go. No more time to waste. We ran up towards the indicated loaction, finding it easily and ducking inside.

(Johnny's P.O.V.)

I felt it again. The presence. The slender... I had been walking further, not making it very far. Whatever part of Pinemount I could see through the branches still looked as far away as when I began... I tried to ignore the presence and kept walking. I wasn't too far when I felt it again. This time, it was stronger, more hostile. I was genuinly scared, and I knew that it could feel it. I gasped when a black tentacle wrapped around my midsection and pinned me to a tree. There was an 8 foot tall faceless man in front of me, fangs showing. "QUI ES-TU? QUE FAIS-TU ICI?" (Who are you? What are you doing here?) I didn't understand anything. My mind didn't even know if he was actually speaking an other language or if it was just my panic blurring the words. "I don't understand!" The pressure against my mind lessened a bit, but the tentacles didn't let go, in fact, they got tighter... Curiosity showed on his featureless face and he spoke, with a very bad accent, in English this time. "Why are you out here? Not many people go here..."

His mind was still pressing against mine and I actually decided to focus on that, no matter how freaky it felt. I felt...sadness? Pain? I told him the truth. "My...my son was kidnapped...along with his best friend. She's slenderfolk, like you are." His expression changed and he let me go. I rubbed my sore arms and ribs and looked at him as he processed the information, seemingly confused on my words. He finally spoke again. "Daughter...taken too. I looking for her. You and me work together?" I was already uncomfortable around slenders...imagine being alone in the woods with a slender, who was also a stranger, who spoke a different language. But he was looking for his kid too...I don't even know why, but I agreed.

**AN: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey this is where my billangual Canadian powers have their use XD I was originally gonna have Laurianne be a Chinese character, but I don't know any Chinese so... ya... I don't really trust Google Translate, especially for long texts. Simple words, fine. But never a full sentence XD This story seems to be moving pretty fast, but the longest segment has yet to come. Adventure, drama, goats...YIPEE! TACOS ARE OK!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 13 Escape**

Juan led us towards the main hallway where the door was. This place was poorly guarded and had very little staff according to him. I tried to peer over the corner and saw the prized door: the janitor's exit towards the dump. "I see it!" I heard Daemon's voice rise up behind me after my comment. "Well I don't with that tropical rainforest you dare call hair!" And so, I quietly reached out a tendrill and wrapped it around his throat. "Ahg! Ok, ok! I'm sorry!" From far down the hall behind me, I heard Frank's voice. "I saw them go that way!" That was the signal. We started to run. Unfortunately, while I held the door to let Laurianne pass through, the others already out, a man at the end of the hallway spotted us. "THEY'RE THIS WAY!" I then paled when he took out a tazer and charged at us. I panicked. My legs refused to move. I braced myself to get hit, glad the others had escaped, when suddently, he was hit with one himself. As he stumbled to the floor, Frank was behind him. "Oops! I'm a janitor, not a sniper...sorry about that." He began to help his coworker up, giving me a subtle smile. I sent him a wave of my brightest feelings, hoping it was enough to thank him as I ran. The others dashed past the garbage, knowing all too well that the agents were going to be right behind us. As I ran, I slipped and Squible jumped out of my hair, turning around and racing back to me. As I began to stand up, something white caught my eye, partly burried in the mud. _Oh God..._

A skull. A tiny little skull of a child...without any eye sockets. The back of the head was cut in perfect straight lines, obviously man made. I wanted to be sick. The world was spinning around me. I managed to stand up, Squible leaping on my shoulder and rubbing his little head on my cheek as I ran. I caught up to the others as they stood by a stream. I couldn't get that image out of my head... I shuddered. That could have been me in a few weeks, or Laurianne... I looked to Juan and thought back to what I had heard...what if that was his twin brother? How many children died here? HOW COULD ANYONE DO THIS? I didn't realize I was crying until Daemon rushed to my side. I bent down and hurled into a bush, tasting foul acid in my mouth. "WOW, Kura, you ok?" I looked back up into his eyes, nodding slightly. "Yeah..it's nothing. Don't worry about me."

As we contemplated the stream, it was obvious the best option was to cross it. But how? It was pretty deep and there was a good amount of current. Laurianne was way too short to cross it. I facepalmed as I realized how dumb I was. _Of course! _I closed my eyes and let that strange numbing feeling take over me. The weight of my hair over my shoulders dissipated, only to be replaced by the dull pinch of my tendrills, full set of eight. I let my vision come back into focus and looked down to Daemon. "You first." He looked at me with a confused expression before I plucked him off the ground with 3 tendrills. I was surprised at how strong they were. I managed to cross the stream almost effortlessly with my new lenghtened legs. The water was freezing cold though and I thanked the fact that my shorts were above the water level. I wouldn't have to drag that icy water around with me.. I set Daemon down on the other side, dropping my shoes and socks off next to him and went back across to repeat the process with Juan and Laurianne. As I carried Laurianne to the other side, she traced her finger over my bare head with mute facination. "C'est quand que ça m'arrivera aussi?" (When will it happen to me too?) I smirked a little, having finally gotten used to my sharpened fangs. "Quand le moment viendra." (When the time comes.) I lifted a hand up to my scarf, thinking of how much I sounded like my father. I missed him... I missed him desperately. On the other side, I put my socks and shoes back on, shrunk back to my human form and we resumed walking.

We decided to take a break in a clearing, my stomach growling. I guess eating a big meal before leaving was pointless concidering I threw it all back up earlier. _The skull... _I shuddered, letting a tear slide down my cheek. Squible, who was perched on my shoulder, gently licked the salty tear away. I smiled. Maybe my parents weren't here, but I was far from alone. I then noticed the squirrel jumping off my shoulder and running off into a bush. I trusted him to come back, so I didn't worry too much. Daemon walked over to me. "So...we escaped...now what?" "Now...we walk until we find civillization. Then, we can go home." "Kura, it's October...you're in shorts. I don't want any of us to freeze to death." I smirked and grabbed his wrist. "Fell that? How does it feel?" He looked weirded out at first, but answered. "Cold..." I smirked, mostly at his light blush though. "My temperature is lower than a human's. I can take the cold. Don't worry about me." Right then, Squible re-emerged from the bushes, tail flickering about and making excited cries. "What's the matter Squible?" He turned and began to scamper off. We followed... and our jaws dropped in awe. He led us to a gigantic apple tree.

I plucked an apple from the tree and took a bite out of it. It tasted so good, especially with my empty stomach. I bent down and scratched the little black furball's belly. "Good boy! You're a little hero, you know that?" We all feasted, stuffing as many of the fruit as we could in our pockets. As a cold breeze blew by, I was thankful we all had coats with us. But as the breeze blew by, coming from the direction of the lab, I noticed Squible tense up and cling to my light pink coat. We all went quiet. Juan spoke up, one of the few times I had ever heard him speak. "Is that?..." "Dogs..." I could hear barking in the distance. They had dogs. They were coming after us. I did the first thing I thought of, extending my tendrills and pulling myself up on the nearest branch from the tree. I let them droop down to my friends' level. "Hold on, I'm gonna pull you guys up." Daemon handed me Laurianne and then helped Juan up before he clung to my tendrills. I coiled them around his arms and pulled him to my level, not without effort. I noticed his scowl and shudder as I set him down on one of the branches. "What's wrong?..." He rubbed his forearms, looking slightly disturbed. "Nothing...They just...they feel weird." His statement devastated me. Why did it matter so much? Yeah, they did feel weird. You were best friends with a girl who had tentacles growing out of her back, expect some weirdness! I still felt pained though...I pushed the feeling to the back of my mind and helped the others keep on from branch to branch, from tree to tree, going higher up as we went on.

"You guys are pathetic tree climbers!" I said as I chuckled. Daemon gave me a playfull punch in the shoulder and looked away. "Well, we don't have super strong tentacles..." "Laurianne does, she has two more than me!" The little girl turned towards me as I spoke her name. Daemon looked her over, her, with her little frail tendrills, wavering about uncertainly and stiffly. She was so small and innocent. _The skull... _I shuddered again. I had to forget about that. "Well, Laurianne is six years old!" I stuck my tongue out at him, Squible immitating me. Daemon crossed his arms and pouted. I struggled to keep back a laugh. That's when I felt a new aura in the area...and an other, and an other...I motioned to everyone to be quiet and not move. On the ground, underneath us, there were 3 dobermans. They sniffed the area frantically before moving on elsewhere. We waited a bit and saw two more go by. It felt like we had been up here for hours, but it was probably just a few minutes. Finally, I deemed it safe to go. My plan had worked. We climbed back down the tree, Daemon almost falling off a few times and Laurianne clinging to my back. I occasionally winced each time she accidentally pulled on my curled hair. Finally, we were at the bottom.

We found a nice clearing surrounded by boulders and pine trees. I decided to begin work on a shelter. Daemon helped me. Laurianne and Juan were playing with Squible, throwing him little bits of an apple that they shared. I decided to ask something my mind's been bugged with. "Daemon...does it freak you out that I'm a slender?" He eyed me strangely, light catching in his emerald eyes and showing a slight concern. I also felt the concern and worry from his aura, but it changed to care quickly. "A little, but you're still my best friend." I smirked and decided to test this out. I extended a single tendrill as he was tightening a knot between some vines. I wrapped it slowly around his arm and I felt him tense up, frozen in place as he stared at the shadowy appendage. "Ok, I'm sorta really freaked out...but believe me, I still care for you as much as I always had." I almost didn't catch the whispered ending to his sentence. "_Maybe even more..."_

As night began to fall, the five of us, yes counting Squible, snuggled up into our new shelter. Maybe it was better if we didn't light a fire...not like any of us knew how anyway... Laurianne was fast asleep in no time, her thumb placed in her mouth. Squible was snoring lightly, curled up in my hair. Juan was also drifting off. Among the silence, I heard a slightly overlly rapid heartbeat. I gazed to my right, at Daemon who was resting his head on my shoulder with a content smile. "You're enjoying this way too much." He chuckled and didn't move away, instead, wrapping his arm around mine. "You know I am." I decided to tease him a little, reaching out one of my tendrills and bringing his hood down over his eyes, wrapping an other tendrill around his midsection. He recoiled in shock, looking frightened, but thankfully didn't wake anyone up. "Ok, ok sorry!" Now it was my turn to laugh. Poor little human kid...


	14. Chapter 14

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 14 Meanwhile...**

I heard a chuckle rise up behind me as I stumbled among the folliage. I silently cursed under my breath at the slender who found it so funny that I was pretty clumsy. He was still in his faceless form. I hadn't seen him change back. He probably didn't feel the need to, or he just really liked the fact it gave him a sort of power over me because it freaked me out. The man helped me stand with the use of his tentacles, which caused me to shudder. It had been less than a whole day that we were working together. We didn't know much about each other, we didn't even know each other's name! But we did speak of one subject a lot: our kids.

"Daemon's the best kid I could ever ask for. He's so sweet and smart... He looks just like his daddy. He wanted to be an author... I was so proud of him..." The dark being at my side rumbled lowly in what could only have been sadness. "Laurianne...she good kid too. Special...how you say? Gifted. She gifted. She not dead. I can feel it. Your kid most likely still alive too. Most likely together... what about other kid? The slender?" I nodded and felt a slight stinging at the corners of my eyes. _Men don't cry... _I had had to remind myself of this so many times since I began my journey. "Sakura is the daughter of two of the most intelligent people I've met in my life...she's an amazing and carring little kid. Wants to be a vet, like her dad. She reminds me of him a lot." The man nodded and looked over the horizon. Or that's what I think he did. He had no eyes after all. "From what I hear, she most likely ok too. I think all kids are ok." Maybe he freaked me out a little, but I trusted him. He didn't realize it, but his natural aura showed exactly how broken-hearted he was. More so than me... We continued onwards towards Pinemount, the mountain finally looking a bit closer than before.

(Sarah's P.O.V.)

I set down the bowl of dog food. Angie had moved into our house for the time being, bringing her dog with her. Lucifer was a cute little mutt, medium sized and brown with a bit of white and grey here and there. It was good to have a pet in the house. Well we did still have the cats, but they weren't the same as Squible... A tear slid down my cheek. I felt a rush of static go down my spine as a set of arms were wrapped behind me. He was so silent... Despite his obvious great depression and suffering, he still tried his very best to try to make me feel better. I traced a finger over the golden band around his finger, feeling the carving of the Zelda Triforce that was there. It made me smirk a bit. He sent shivers down my spine when I felt his teeth graze the back of my neck gently. We stepped apart from each other though, when Angie walked in, went to the fridge and pulled out a large container of peanut butter icecream. She took a spoon and walked off with the whole thing. I followed her to the living room. The three of us sat down on the couch, Tom's arm over my shoulder. We had spent the past few days in near complete silence, the three of us. Our only words being simple little things to cheer each other up, like: "I love you" or "it's ok"

Tom's aura, amplified by our mental link, held so much sadness, it was suffocating. I saw him run a hand on the back of his neck, feeling the place where his scarf once was, obviously thinking of it's new owner. He spoke with certitude. "They're alive. I know they are. If Kura was dead, I would feel it. She's still alive. They'll be fine..." Angie set her spoon down in the ice cream container, sighing and letting a tear down her cheek. "I wish I could be a slender too sometimes, just so I could have the certitude you do." Me and Tom simultaneously reached a hand and set it on her shoulder. The news came on, and we all turned our attention to it. The screen showed pictures of Sakura and Daemon. Yes, the authorities were aware of their dissapearence, it was right in the school year after all. They didn't know about my child's condition as a slender of course. As the report went on about how there was still no sign of the kids, I saw in the corner of my eye as Tom released his tendrills and wrapped himself in them. I offered my hand and he contemplated it before he coiled one of them around my wrist. We didn't need to speak to each other, be it verbally or not. Just being close helped. Angie got closer to the two of us, new tears down her face. I gave her a determined look and spoke surely. "We'll find them."

That night, I had trouble finding sleep. I could hear the slow breathing at my left and it did calm me, but my thoughts were in a frenzy. Why? Well...tomorrow, my parents were coming over...for the first time I'd see either of them in about 7 years... They were well aware of both Tom and Sakura being slenders. The day they found out wasn't exactly the best day ever... I could tell they weren't exactly too happy about their daughter being with what could be called a "monster". I noticed that the breathing had gotten a little more irregular. A cool arm wrapped around me and pulled me closer and I laid my head on his bare chest. I fell into a deep, but far from peaceful sleep. I just wanted the kids back...

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

I awoke the next day to find that Juan was not lying down with us anymore. I didn't dare move from my spot for fear I would wake-up the others. I decided to extend my aura and found his presence by a stream. I nodded and closed my eyes and leaned back against the back of the shelter. I felt someone stir at my side. Daemon. He had his arm wrapped around mine and his face burried in my hair. When he awoke, he jerked away, face red. I started laughing. This unfortunately woke-up Laurianne too. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood up, walking out of the shelter. I got up and walked out too, followed by a still blushing Daemon. Juan returned from the stream and I decided to go there myself. The water was icy cold and crystal clear. It didn't taste clean, but it's all we had. I took time to look at my reflexion in the water. I gave myself a brave smile, only to allow my gaze to linger on my teeth. After my first transformation, I had noticed that my teeth had remained a little longer and sharper than they were before. I must have been really distracted, because I didn't even hear Daemon's clumsy footsteps.

"Wow what happened to your teeth?" I jumped back, startled slightly. I looked down. "I understand why you're freaked out by me, I mean look at me. I'm a monster!" He looked down, seemingly debating with himself. I senced a deep anxiety rising from within him. "You're not a monster... I don't think there's any point in hiding that I feel something for you, you must know that with your aura sensing powers." I nodded and kept my gaze on my reflexion. My hair was such a mess...Squible could have been hiding in it now and I wouldn't even know. I replied nonchalently. "Well you're my best friend. We've known each other since forever! And you're a guy. It's normal for you to feel that way. How would anyone else feel about me though?" He seemed at a loss, but his next answer made me think. "Does anyone else really matter?" I didn't know what to answer to that. He was such a good person...I almost felt bad for sticking him in the friendzone...almost. I smirked and playfully punched his shoulder. We both walked back towards the others, ready to start walking again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 15 Family is Forever**

The doorbell rang. I nonchallantly walked towards the entrance of the house, knowing my long brown hair was uncombed. I didn't have the will to do so...Poor Sakura, she couldn't even comb her hair at the moment. My, it would have so many knots in it when she gets back. A tear slid down my cheek as I thought of her. I opened the door and was greeted by my parents. My mom's brown hair, which I had inherited, was starting to show more and more grey. It actually looked like she had cried too. My dad had a sorrowfull look on his face. We might have been standing in the doorway for 10 seconds as easily as 20 minutes before I rushed towards them and was embraced in a warm hug. I let all the tears out, it felt good to do so. A mind reached me from in the house. _"Sarah, please don't cry...and don't stand in the doorway like that, you could catch a cold." _I did my best to hide my little communication from my parents. They weren't too comfortable with me being with a slender. _"I don't care if I do. Kura might be sick right now, I'd want to share her pain." _I began to walk back into the house, followed by my parents. "_I don't want to see an other member of my family in distress..." _The love I felt from him made me smile a little.

Angie and Tom walked into the dining room pretty much at the same time as we did. Angie was starting to show...either that, or she had eaten way too much icecream. Tom's eyes were tinted red, showing he had cried. He was one of the few men out there who wasn't affraid to admit that men cried too. He, once again, placed a hand on his neck. His distant gaze, seemingly drained of life showed just how depressed he was. Twice in the past 4 days he hadn't gone to work at the clinic. I took his hand in mine and he looked up to me slowly, smiling a bit when our eyes met. He wrapped a tendrill around my arm, binding us together for as long as he wanted. I don't think most people could even come close to understanding how strong those things are...

I didn't need to be a slender to feel the increase in tension in the room when he did this. My parents had never gotten used to him being slender. My mom was the first to speak, breaking the tension a little. "I'm terribly sorry for what happened..." Maybe it was the depression that affected my mood, but I snapped at her. "Why do you care? You only saw her, what, twice in your life?" The tendrill around my arm coiled tighter and I felt static fill me, calming me a bit, but also warning me to keep calm. My parents both gasped slightly. My mom put a hand on my shoulder..."I'm sorry..I know I should have been here more." We spoke a bit more, Tom never, not even for an instant, letting my arm go. He seemed so anxious around my parents...it's understandable. My father turned his attention to Angie, who was drawing some type of dead animal. She was really talented. "So, I understand you're pregnant?" She looked up to him, her normally green eyes red and puffy. Placing a hand on her stomach, she answered. "Yes, sir...makes me even more determined to find Daemon." She gave a brave smile. I trusted that Johnny would find the kids, no matter how clumsy and admittedly cowardly he was.

One thing led to an other, and somehow Sakura's powers were brought up. "She had just...changed...the day before they were taken. It's most likely because of that." I saw a slight tension on my parents' faces, but not when I spoke of her being taken...When I mentioned her change... My mom's eyes were glued to the shadowy tendrill still wrapped around my arm, her gaze meeting Tom's. He kept his stare on her, those eerie sky blue eyes giving him an air of power. He did so until she looked away. I'm not even sure if he realized when he did that. He did it a lot. I felt a slight air of amusment coming from him, but his depression returned as he spoke up. "They most likely took her because she was fully capable of using her powers, but not able to teleport away from them. Daemon was a witness, so they had to take him too. They also took the squirrel..." "Kura screamed at them to let her keep him. She broke through those things they were wearing to protect their minds. They gave him to her because she scared them. Really impressive kid." Angie finished for him. I noticed my parents' raised brows. I knew they accepted my little family, but they still very clearly felt stressed about this. As I led my parents back to the door as it was time to leave, I hugged them both once again. My dad whispered in my ear. "Family is forever." They both got in their respective cars and drove off.

(Johnny's P.O.V.)

I'd been walking for a long time, slowly getting used to the dark, electrifying presence that followed me around. He was generally silent, not speaking much. He'd sometimes mumble to himself in French, but I never understood what he was saying. I'd have to start trying to learn French when I get home... My feet hurt and I decided to sit down on a boulder to take a break. The slender besides me sniffed the air in a very animal like way. He stood at his tallest, black tentacles wavering about. I knew he was probably reaching out with his aura, searching for any signs of life. I saw his swirling appendadges twitch. His facial expression, even with most features gone, clearly showed excitement. "Laurianne... I feel her. She is this way! Come, human! I feel her..."

I stood up and slowly walked towards the tall being who took long and graceful strides. He was much faster than me and I had to jog to keep up. "Hey! Wait for me!" That's when I realized we weren't heading towards Pinemount anymore. We were heading at a certain angle to the mountain. I felt my heart rate increase. The kids aren't in the mountain. But what if the kidnappers hadn't taken them to the mountain, but to a facility near by? Then why would they say Pinemount? The mountain was several miles to my left. No, the kids were out of the mountain if he was right. I trusted him. Don't argue with a supernatural faceless monster with tentacles sprouting from their back...they have a tendency to be right about stuff. I wanted my son back...I wanted to go home to see my wife. I wanted my dog back! Our adventure might end soon.

**AN: Hey...ya I put up 2 chapters tonight...I felt inspired...I am planning a minimum of 4 more chapters to this fic plus an epilogue... I might do much more though... Hey, I wanted to say something I find funny...how is it that I have 7 reviews on this fic...and all of them are from the same person? XD Come on, where'd the rest of you go? Did Shadow Blood take you all away too? Where are my Slovakians at? I swear, that'll become a thing...ya...so here's a chapter without a P.O.V. By Sakura :O Anyway, thank you all my readers... my invisible readers... My silent readers... T'ill next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 16 Little Nature's Spirit**

After an other night out in these woods, I woke-up feeling stiff and cold. My light pink jacket and striped scarf weren't much against the frigid nights out here. Especially since I was wearing shorts. Everyone else was still asleep, all huddled up together. Squible had burrowed into my hair and I managed to carefully pull him out and lay him against Daemon's neck who twitched a little at the contact, but showed no signs of waking up. I stepped outside from the shelter, wishing any one of us knew how to start a fire. Most of the leaves had fallen from the trees and my steps echoed loudly when I walked. If only I was as silent as my dad... Slenders were supposed to be silent by nature. I wasn't. At least not yet...Maybe I will be in the future. I walked a little and gazed again at the sky, which was still pale and held a pinkish tint towards the horizon, or whatever part of the sky it was I could see through the branches.

It's as I looked up at the slightly golden clouds over head that something cold fell right into my eye. I blinked. When I looked around again, I noticed that a bunch of tiny white flakes were falling slowly, drifting along the gentle breeze. It was snowing. This was the first snowfall. I caught a flake in my hand, smiling as it melted. I wished I had gloves. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, still looking around in wonder. Crunching footsteps sounded behind me and I felt a small creature leap onto my back, clinging to the curls of hair. Squible sat back on my shoulder, also looking at the sky in wonder. Daemon walked by next to me, a few flakes catching in his now mucus tinted hair. I giggled a bit at their color. He looked at me confused before realizing what I found funny. "Aw come on, I can't dye it out here! At least I don't look like a clump of dead grass!" I did my best to flatten down my tangled hair as I shot him a death glare.

He looked back up to the sky, his emerald eyes and his aura radiating with worry. "We better get out of here fast... We'll freeze to death if the snow gets too bad. Not to mention, we don't want to miss Halloween!" I smiled and looked down. Not only was Halloween my favorite holiday, it was also my birthday. I'd be turning 14. I smirked, knowing well it showed my new fangs and taunted my childhood friend. "Yeah, don't think that because nobody celebrates my birthday it means I'm not officially two years older than you!" He pouted and crossed his arms, mumbling under his breath. "Yeah, well...age doesn't always matter!" I smiled sadly and walked back to the second shelter we built, taking some apples from the bag and throwing him one. The others soon woke-up, Juan looking around in awe. Not much snow had fallen, just enough to cover everything in a fine layer of white. He seemed to struggle for words, only being able to speak after a few seconds. "I...I've never seen snow before in my life..." We all looked at him. Even with very few English skills, I knew Laurianne had been with us long enough to at least understand what that meant. Daemon looked shocked. "How can you have never seen snow before?" The little kid looked sad, looking to his feet. He held his very worn out coat closer to himself. "We had just moved here in the summer before we were taken, me and my brother... I never left the building after unless it was to put bags in the piles at the small dump. But even that has a little roof, so..." My stomach turned as soon as the dump was mentioned. _The skull... _I paled and looked away, Daemon noticing this. "Sakura, are you ok?" I nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine." They didn't need to know...

As we carried on with our day, walking through the fast melting snow which was already gone by the time it was what I assumed to be noon. We stopped a few times to eat snacks from our supplies and drink a bit of water. Laurianne wandered off a bit, chassing Squible. They were looking for some food source like that miraculous apple tree. I wasn't too worried, what could possibly go wrong? Something went wrong... I heard a shrill scream and Squible's frenzied alert cries. Dropping my piece of bread on the ground, I motioned to Daemon to remain with Juan and ran towards the source of the cry. I stopped dead in my tracks. Laurianne was pale and shivering, trying her best to look bigger by waving her six tendrills in the air. Squible rushed to me as soon as I arrived. The source of the distress? A large and clearly angry black bear. Clearly a female, she stood on her hind legs, growling lowly, challenging us. I instinctively stood in front of Laurianne and handed the squirrel to her. "Retourne avec les autres." (Go back with the others.) She nodded and ran off, the bear looking at her and then returning her focus to me. I tried to do the same as Laurianne did, extending my tendrills and trying to look intimidating. I shifted to my other form, hissing and showing my fangs. This confused the bear, but didn't do much more.

She growled again and began to charge at me. I managed to evade her claws, but her arm still hit me right in the stomach and sent me flying. I landed hard on the ground, panic filling me. I knew I would have cried if I had eyes, but all I did was sit and sob, unsure of what to do. The bear turned slowly and started to walk over to me, her brown eyes seeming to stare into my soul. Despite my blured and greyish vision, they seemed to contrast as though I was seeing them with human eyes. Not finding much of anything to do, I began to break down. "I wish my dad was here! I can't do this! I wish my dad was here!" What would he do at my place anyway? All these thoughts happened in only a few instants. The bear raised a paw and was about to bring it down on me when a rock flew and hit her muzzle. Distracted, she missed me. I didn't want to look. I didn't have to. I knew Daemon was behind me. _Idiot..._ But I'll admit, I was greatful. The bear roared at him and began to charge. That's when my instincts took over. I snarled and felt electricity fill me. The bear stopped dead in her tracks and began to whimper, pressing her head to the ground and placing her large paws over it. I pressed on with my mind, filling hers with static. In this, I couldn't help but sense parts of her mind, parts of her aura. I sensed her desire to protect her young. Cubs were hidden somehwere around here. If I had eyes, I'm sure they would have snapped open. I got up and walked in between Daemon and the bear, this time, my feet making no noise as they hit the ground. I was a slender. I was the most powerful creature out here.

Looking to the bear, I replaced the ringing of white noise with a comforting static, retracting my tendrills. The bear slowly raised her head, looking at me with a very confused face. I raised my pale hand towards her, letting her snif my long and bony fingers. She still eyed me suspiciously, but I managed to calm her down enough to actually set my hand on top of her head. I began to slowly back off, never letting the bear out of my sight. I think she could sense that I was looking at her because her eyes never left me. I grabbed Daemon's hand and we both walked backwards until I couldn't see the animal anymore, then we turned around and ran towards the others. When we were back and positively safe, I finally gave in to the pain from my impact with the bear's paw and the ground. My side ached dully and I lifted my coat and my shirt slightly to look at my side. First thing I noticed was that my ribs were dangerously visible from the lack of food out here. Second thing I noticed was the greying patch of skin where I got hit. That was a nasty bruise. I shrunk back down to my human form and Squible, seemingly unbelievably relieved that I was still alive, ran to me and leaped up against my neck. I stroked his back and closed my eyes, enjoying the fact that I was still alive. That's when I decided to look at Daemon again. I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck. "Thanks...I'd have died back there without you..." He smirked, obviously proud of himself. I playfully punched him in the shoulder. He rubbed the spot where I had hit him, looking at me with a devious grin. I sighed and turned around, deciding to resume our walk. I felt pathetic... Not only had my younger human friend had to save me, I had also gotten mud on my dad's scarf... But I was starting to feel proud I was a slender.

(Johnny's P.O.V.)

We stumbled into a clearing, only to stop and let our jaws drop. The slender by my side soundlessly stepped in front of me and reached a black tentacle to the obviously man-made shelter that was here. It was a simple lean-to, and very small. The slender let his tentacles waver in the wind, reading the area with his aura. He turned to me, looking overjoyed. "They were here. They were here not long ago. I know my daughter was here. She is too young to do this. People were with her. I think they went this way!" He then began to walk in a new direction, leaving me to follow behind. "Hey, dude! Can you slow down a little, please?" He didn't respond and didn't slow down, his tentacles wavering about quickly in obvious excitement. I rushed to get by his side faster, feeling my heart starting to beat in my chest. _Daemon...Sakura...We're almost there!_

**AN: HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY I got an other review, and it's not from the same person :D Anyway, yes...and don't be fooled, it's not over yet :) I am evil, mwahahahaha. You all might find a certain deep interest in the next chapter...I won't spoil anything, but...ya...something's gonna happen...and it doesn't involve people finding them... Until next time, thank you all!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 17 Impulse**

I wandered into my home after working, tossing my shoes off carelessly. The world was dead to me. Lucifer padded over to me and sniffed my hand. I reached to him with my aura, attempting to seek out comfort in the contact with such a warm and innocent creature. It failed. I reached out to my neck, colder than a normal human's, feeling the flesh that was once covered by my precious scarf. It reminded me constantly that my even more precious only child was somewhere out there, wandering about by her lonesome. Well, she did have Daemon, but he was younger, shorter, weaker, dumber... And Squible as well, but the same rules applied. She was, not only lost, but also placed in a position where she was responsible for others. Anxiety ate away at my insides, torturing the depths of my already dark mind. I stepped soundlessly over to the living room couch and dropped down. Sarah joined me shortly, her long flowing brown hair still looking beautiful despite being unkept. She was the only source of comfort I could turn to in these dark times. Our united minds served as some kind of final sanctuary where we could sense some form of peace. It could make us forget about the rest of the world, to simply lose ourselves in each other's mind.

Her frail hand reached me and I took it in mine, willing one of my tendrills to curl around it. Ever since Sakura had been taken, we most often spoke through our minds rather than out loud. Our thoughts were clearer that way and we could find comfort in each other's auras. She sat, leaning against me, and I laid my head onto her hair, inhaling deeply, capturing her scent. God I love her so much... _"So, nothing new at work?" _Her voice rose clearly in my mind, bringing a slight shiver of comfort to me. _"Not much, you? How's Angie doing?" _I felt her shrug. _"Nothing new here...and Angie's still not back." _Angie had left for her first ultrasound scan. That would mean we'd most likely know the gender of her unborn child. She could only tell her partner when he returned though... I thought of Johnny. He was a good friend. I was well aware that he was disturbed by my nature as a slender, but I was indiferent to this. I was even able to draw amusement from it at times. Silly little human... But he was very kind.

Angie returned shortly after, giving a courageous smile despite her obvious sorrow and lonelyness. She sat by us, resting a hand on her slightly protruding stomach. "It's a girl." Me and Sarah both smiled faintly. We did our best to try to keep each other strong in such difficult times. A tear slid down Angie's cheek and Sarah reached out her free hand and set it on her friend's shoulder. "Daemon's gonna have a little sister... I just wish he'd be back so I could tell him..." I also tried to smile faintly to her. I even attempted to comfort her through static, but she raised a hand and shook her head slightly. "No, I'm fine. But thank you Tom." I nodded and resumed gazing off into the distance. I somehow felt, deep within me, that the despair would end soon.

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

It had been so long that we had been walking. So long that we were looking for a way out... We were all beginning to shiver. Our coats were clearly not made for a Canadian winter, especially one that consists of spending so many nights out. I was trying my best to set up a shelter. Laurianne walked up to me, stumbling a little bit as she did so. It didn't take long for me to notice that her tendrills were no longer wavering behind her. I smiled and bent down to her level. "Elles sont parties! Tu grandis vite!" (They're gone! You're growing up fast!) She smiled at me with sparkling eyes, but they shone with fear. The same fear I had a little over a week ago... The fear of changing for the first time. Wait, not even two weeks ago? My God it felt like forever. After getting most of it set up, I walked over to a nearby stream, gazing down at my reflexion in the slightly frozen water. The hues from the setting sun colored the whole landscape orange and gold. The falling brown and red leaves around me added such an incredible effect to it all. I breath in the icy air and closed my eyes, enjoying a moment of calm. I heard footsteps behind me. "Hey Daemon. Isn't this place beautiful?" I turned to him to see him smiling lightly.

We just sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and serenity of the scene. That's when he brought up something I wished he hadn't..."Kura, what happened back in the dump on the day we escaped?" I felt my heart clench and I paled. I didn't want to speak, but I suppose I had to. "I...I saw..." A tear slid down my cheek. Now he was worried. "I saw a skull." I said it, almost like a whisper. His eyes widened and he backed away a bit. "A...skull?" I looked up to him, anger boiling in me. I could finally let out my rage. "A skull. A child's skull. A slender's..." I punched at the rock I was sitting on, letting my tendrills loose and wrapping myself tightly in them. I was shaken by sobs and Daemon sat down on the same boulder as me. He hugged me. I don't know how long we just sat there. He whispered to me gently. "Kura, Kura, please calm down. We're free, ok? It's behind us." I pulled away from his arms, leaving the admitedly comforting warmth and looked at his eyes. They were really a nice color, so full of life. It seemed as though the whole forest had gone silent.

Maybe it was being lost out here in the woods so long that had altered my perception on things. Maybe it was because he had saved me from that bear earlier today... Maybe I was just realizing what had been going on this whole time. Without a signal, without any indication, it was an impulse we both had shared. We leaned in closer until our lips touched. It was light and quick, not even lasting a second before we both looked away. But it meant so much... I reached my fingers up to my lips, smiling lightly. He chuckled next to me. "Heh...first kiss at age 12. That's gotta be an achievment, right?" I laughed a bit, feeling my cheeks go red. _What am I doing? _I punched his shoulder playfully and we both got up after most of the colors had fadded. We returned to the little camp where Laurianne and Juan had already huddled up in the shelter and were shivering. Squible was curled tightly in between them, but he got up and jumped up towards me, clinging to my scarf and climbing up to my face. His little snout twitched as he sniffed my lips a little. I turned to Daemon, seeing him blush a bit. I started rubbing my arm nervously. "Squible...you can tell, can't you?" He kept looking at me with those little black eyes and then climbed to my shoulder. Me and Daemon both ducked into the shelter, snuggling close with the others, taking advantage of each other's warmth. It had always been a simple survival technique, but now it felt like so much more.

(Johnny's P.O.V.)

It was nightfall. We had to stop again. Something neither of us were too happy about. The slender who sat by my side, roasting some pigeon, or whatever he killed, was mumbling under his breath in French. "Ma pauvre Laurianne... Tu es si proche... Si longtemps que tu es perdue..." (My poor Laurianne... You are so close... So long that you've been lost...) I didn't get any of that, but I knew he was talking about his daughter. His precious daughter. He talked about her all the time. From what I could tell, she had some weird freaky gift that made her grow two extra tentacles...and I thought four was freaky enough... She was kidnapped later that same day. He had been searching for her for three days already when he found me. He told me he was gifted himself. He told me he could see into people's dreams, the same gift that freak Jessie had. Some psychotic girl from my childhood... He saw me dreaming about children being stolen. Which kind of freaked me out... Ok, you want the big picture, everything slender related freaked me out... But that's not the point. My point is, the thing he talked about the most was his daughter. He was desperate to get to her... and I was desperate to get to the kids. It was stressfull to spend an other night out here, but we needed the rest. Who knows, we might even find them tomorrow!

**AN: OK, SO...How many people saw this coming? XD I'm talking about Daemon and Sakura kissing :/ If you payed attention, which I doubt you did that much, you'd have noticed that, a while back, I changed the genre of this story from "friendship" to "romance" Yeah...that was more than just a clever trick to get more readers...I was foreshadowing ;) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this...THANK YOU FOR A REVIEW FROM A NEW PERSON XD And, as a final note, two people at school know about my seriously massive crush towards this one guy ;-; I'm scared they'll hate me because it's really a very uncommon opinion, but whatever... IF YOU FIND THESE FANFICS, NEVER USE THEM AS A SOURCE OF CONVERSATION WITH ME XD Thank you!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 18 Almost Free**

I had been working at my computer for a few hours now, analyzing a new find. The great thing about my job was that I could work at home from a computer too. I'd be here when Johnny comes back with Daemon and Kura...he WILL come back. I know he will...he has to. Angie was out taking Lucifer for a walk. I assumed she was coming back when I heard the doorbell ring. That's strange...why would she ring the doorbell? She had the keys. I wasn't expecting anymore guests... My parents had come over, Tom's parents too, his brother, Angie's mom, Johnny's parents, even Dill came by. I never expected to see who I saw... She was notably different, with hair of it's natural color: brown. Skin tone pale, sickly even and a body shape that bordered anorexia. The one thing that never changed about her were those unsettling amber eyes. Jessie, despite looking frail and weak, still had an air of power to her.

"Hello, Sarah..." She spoke quickly and stiffly. I assumed she still wasn't the best of friends with me... I also could tell right away from the aura that hung in the air around her that, even after 23 years, she was still broken hearted. She had been kind to us though. I let her in. Tom was out at work right now. My God, he'd never believe this when I'd tell him. The tall and elegant woman sat down on the couch in the living room, looking at me again with those amber eyes. "I heard what happened...I'm sorry..." I knew right away she was sincere and genuinly sad. We may have been enemies at one time, but I had never seeked to fight with her. We spoke a bit more. Of course, she asked me how my husband was doing. All the while staring down at my ring... "He's...dead looking. It's like all life was drained from his soul. Hardly the same person anymore... " I looked down in sorrow, feeling her eyes on me. She said nothing, then, finally, reached out towards me with her frail and weak hand and placed it on my shoulder, giving me a brave smile. One of the few smiles she had ever given me in my life... I heard keys rattling at the front door as Angie was coming back. In an instant, the woman next to me paled and changed until she was a good 7 feet tall and faceless. She then dissapeared, right as the front door opened. "Hey Sarah. Sarah?..." She noticed me staring blankly in the spot that had been occupied by my guest just a few seconds ago. "Sarah, you ok?" I smiled and laughed a bit, looking up to her. "You'll never believe who just dropped by."

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

We kept on walking through these woods, trying to put as much distance between ourselves and the mountain. Squible managed to find a few nuts lying around, which was pretty usefull to us. I thanked him with a rush of static and a pat on the head every time. We even still had some apples from that apple tree at the beginning of our journey. I was eating one now. The fruit had been very well preserved in the cold weather which often dropped below freezing temperatures. Even now, in the middle of the day, it was pretty chilly out here. I gave a slight thought to the way we spent our nights...without a camp fire. Juan was already not used to the cold at all and Laurianne was so small and weak. I was scared someone would die before we got out of here...

Daemon walked by my side, Squible on top of his head, looking around. We hadn't spoken about what happened yesterday yet. "So...Kura...does this make us...y'know...together?" I grinned faintly, thinking before answering. "I don't know...I really don't...I don't even know what I did or why I did it! I don't know how I feel or if I'm ready for being in a relationship..." He nodded, looking into the distance. Until, of course, Squible decided to drop the front part of his body over Daemon's face, still clinging to his sickly green-brown hair. "AH! You stupid squirrel! Get out of my face!" I laughed and took the little furball, gently holding him in my arms. "Aw come on, he just wants to play." Daemon tried his best to fix his hair, but out here in the woods, it wasn't really worth much of anything. Again, our eyes met, but we both looked away pretty quickly. It was odd, as though both a certain comfort as well as an uncomfortable awkwardness had set it's self between us. The awkwardness was raised even more for me when Laurianne walked in between us and turned to me. "Vous sortez ensembles?" (Are you dating?) I blushed, grimacing and looked away. Were we? I don't even know... Maybe when we left this forest, we could. If we left this forest...no, we were going to leave this forest. Soon too...I could feel it.

(Johnny's P.O.V.)

We had picked up the pace, walking quickly through the forest. Well, me quickly and him at a somewhat normal speed... I didn't even know the guy's name and I had never seen his human face. All I knew was that he was desperate to save his little girl. His tentacles waved in the air, showing me he was most likely still scanning the place with his aura. His light steps made no sound as they hit the leaf covered forest floor. I still don't get how they do that...Slenders are freaky... Suddently, he stopped, his mouth hung agape. I shuddered when I saw those fangs. No wonder legends claim these guys eat children...they certainly don't have the teeth to look friendly."They...they are so close. I feel them...I feel her. Four kids. All together. And...uhm... Écureuil? How you say? No matter... They are here." I got excited...until I thought about what he said a bit more. _Four? Who's the fourth kid? _No matter...just like he said. I chuckled slightly at my thought, both of us walking much faster now. I had gotten used to this dark presence.

We both froze in place when we reached the top of a hill that was at our left when we first ran through here. Just as the small group of skinny and visibly cold people below us did... The boy with discolored seaweed hair looked up to me with emerald eyes that shone with so much light. "Dad..."


	19. Chapter 19

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 19 Rescued at Last**

I stared up in mute silence. A gust of cold wind blew by, making me shiver. At the top of the hill by our side, there was Johnny, and a slender. I didn't know who this was at first, but I realized right away as Laurianne stumbled forward. "Papa?" The tall faceless being ran down the hill alongside Johnny and they hugged their respective children. Johnny then turned and embraced me in a warm hug as well. "Hey kid! You're freezing cold." I didn't answer. I didn't react. My mind hadn't caught up yet. Finally, tears started to stream down my face. _We're safe...WE'RE SAFE! _I felt an aura behind me, though...one that was sorrowful and lonely. Juan...his family wasn't here. Did he even have one? I felt bad for him...but he did have a wide smile when he understood that he'd finally be leaving this place after spending a good 2 years out here.

We spent long minutes just all talking to each other, going over most of what happened. Leaving out the part about me and Daemon...yeah... I still wasn't too sure what to think about that. Did I really mean it? Was he more than just a friend to me? Watching him play with Squible and his dad right now, hearing his full laughter and seeing him smile. Maybe he was just 12 and I wasn't even 14 yet. Maybe this could ruin our friendship if we ended up splitting apart. Maybe I wasn't sure about anything anymore, but yes. I liked him. The slender that was rapidly speaking French to his daughter, showing excitement over everything from her tendrills to how she stood up to a bear to how she lived this long out here in the woods, was grinning widely, his fangs gleaming. He finally turned to us, looking at Johnny particularly. He slowly shrank down in size, his skin tone darkenning and a clump of blonde hair growing on his head. He finally opened blue eyes, identical to his daughter's. "Thank you...human." Johnny looked back to the being, smilling in a way he never had before and still holding Daemon close to him. "Merci, slender." The blonde man looked amused at his attempt at French and shifted back to his slender form before fadding away with his daughter who seemed overjoyed.

Johnny turned to me and finally noticed Juan who was looking scared and confused, remaining apart from the rest of us. "Kura, who is he?" I motioned for the small dark skinned boy to come closer to us. "Juan. His twin brother was taken like we were...he's been out here for two years." Johnny put a hand up to his mouth, eyes wide. "These people took a kid away, FOR TWO YEARS? God, I've been panicking after only a week!" He hugged Daemon tightly again. "Aw come on dad, you're embarassing me!" Johnny stepped away from his son, but not even ten seconds later, a shivering Daemon ran back and hugged his dad. "I missed you daddy." That's when I thought of something. "Wait a minute, how are we gonna get out of here? You're not a slender and I can't slenderwalk yet." Johnny smirked and pulled a walkie-talkie type device from his bag. "We call your dad with this to say I found you guys, then, we walk back to the spot where he brought me and he'll take us back!" Juan stepped forward, speaking for the first time since this reunion. "Me too?" He was shivering and his brown eyes were wide open. Johnny bent down to his eye level and smiled gently. "Yeah, you too." Juan ran up and hugged this man he didn't even know.

At first, the device didn't work. We got no signal. We walked up the hill and over for about a mile when Johnny facepalmed. "RIGHT! Kura, your dad told me that it might not work on ground level, but if you climbed a tree, then maybe it'll work." I took the precious item in my hand, knowing it was key to our escape. Extending my tendrills, and being surprised when Johnny didn't even react, I began to climb, being as careful as can be. The branch I stood on cracked and I nearly dropped it, earning a collective gasp from the humans below me. Thank God for tendrills... I was hanging on to the tree and the device using only them. I got my footing back and resumed my climb. I was on the highest branch I could be on, seeing the mountain in the distance behind me and a vast sea of trees everywhere else. "It's still not working!" I was beginning to panic. What if we can't escape? I was then surprised by what Johnny, of all people, suggested. "Try your slender form. You'll be taller!" Daemon turned to his father, raising a brow in confusion. Johnny was always freaked out by everything slender related... I shook my head and focused.

Static numbed my limbs and my vision blurred, finally, I heard a slight crackling sound from the thing I was holding at the reach of my highest tendrills. I focused it and called out. "Daddy? Daddy?!" There was the slightly static-y sound of something clattering to the ground followed by rushed footsteps. "Kura? Sakura? Is that really you?" I grinned widely. "DAD! I missed you so much!" I heard him speak again, his voice shaky as he obviously chocked on sobs. "K-Kura...I missed you too..." I didn't want to turn it off, I didn't want to climb back down. I wanted to stay up here in safety. I wanted to hear my dad's voice. He kept speaking in a more steady voice now. "Go back down with Johnny and let him take you back to where I dropped him off...Then call me again. You should have a better signal there. I'll come get you." With slight sobs, snot dripping from my barelly visible nostrils, I agreed and shut off the radio, climbing back down slowly. I handed Johnny the device once again, now standing as tall as he was. He looked me head to toe. "You look so much like your dad." I was incredibly surprised. He just praised me...for my slender powers...even comparing me to my dad! "You too, Daemon." He ruffled his kid's hair and I played with my scarf. I felt so proud. I started this journey eager to have my powers, then when I got them, I was scared. I then went from being disturbed by what I am to being proud. My scarf...I had family that loved me and I was more than just an ordinary person. I was a slender.

(Sarah's P.O.V.)

I couldn't even breath when that thing turned on, when I heard that voice. Tom had rushed over to his little radio, on the edge of tears. Angie was also up and by my side right away. She had dropped her bowl of cereal when she heard it. I didn't get to speak to her... But I was so happy to hear her voice. To hear that she was well... They'll be back soon. The three of us turned and looked at each other before we all rushed into a group hug. Angie squeeled a bit though. "Hey, watch the stomach! That hurts!" We all laughed. I was so happy...God I missed hearing laughter. His especially. His aura radiated a pure happiness unlike anything I had ever felt before. I'm not sure if he even realized that he released his tendrills and that they were swaying in the air as though they were moved by some kind of music only he could hear... My brown eyes met his sky blues and he swept me off my feet and kissed me. It didn't matter if Angie was here, we were happy. This was the first time we had shared a kiss since the kids went missing and I was enjoying this immensely. We broke apart, gasping for air and I laid my head on his shoulder.

Angie was crying and laughing at the same time. "I totally needed to see that guys!" Tom flicked a tendrill towards her and pushed back her hair, making it fall all over her face. Brushing the strands from her eyes, she ran up and pushed him. We were all laughing and crying and playing as if we were all little kids again. They'll be home soon...

**AN: Hey! ArashiKira here to say: we are getting close to the end. There will still be multiple chapters though, just having everyone walk out of the woods and all that and a few more chapters after that...but I'll stop this here for now...why? Well...remember when I said I'd be updating Nature's Spirit? Making it longer and better? Well, I'll be doing that now and for a bit...ok I also ran low on ideas for this fic XD Anyway, I'll update Nature's Spirit to make it a better fic and hopefully get more readers into both that fic and this one...then, I shall return here and finish what I have begun! Thank you all for reading so far, I hope you all don't mind waiting a bit for this work to be done...I might take as long as...uhm...until next Monday or so to get back to this fic...Which isn't too long, BUT STILL XD**


	20. Chapter 20

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 20 A Warm Fire**

As night fell on that one night of safety, that one night following the moment my father had found us, we all let out a sigh of relief. Fire! My dad could light a fire. He also had two tents with him. I'd be in the same tent as my dad and Kura would go with Juan and Squible. For now though, we all sat around the flickering flames, enjoying the scent of the soup my dad was cooking. His hair had also lost it's dyed colors. Yet, I don't think anybody required a hair styling as much as Sakura did. It looked like she had some kind of horrible accident with electricity! Her fluffy brown hair was heavily matted, but she didn't seem to care about it right now. Her eyes were fixated on the warm flames. She held out her hands, breathing in and closing her hazel-grey eyes. I'm not sure if she realized she was doing it, but the whole surrounding air radiated with a certain serene feel, generated by her aura. She clearly didn't know how to control that yet... I knew it wasn't normal for me to be able to constantly pick up on her aura. I had been close to her dad a lot and it didn't do that. I'm guessing it's because she's new at this.

She's a slender...she's not even human... I had known this all my life, just as I had known her all my life. I had started to gain feelings for her by the time I was ten years old. Seeing her gain all her powers, it somewhat frightened me, but it also brought me to a new level of admiration. I had felt so worried that one day, about two weeks ago, when I had found her on the ground there, during what had started as a simple game of hide-and-seek. I had witnessed her first transformation... It was startling. My eyes were brought back up, mind returning to reality, as a bowl of hot soup was set in front of me. I smiled in gratitude, looking into my father's hazel-green eyes. He sat by my side and I snuggled against him. I had missed him so much. From across the fire, Sakura looked at us. She was fiddling with her striped scarf, showing slight sorrow. She wanted her dad... She wanted to be held. Juan, however, didn't seem bothered at all. He was gulping down the soup like some kind of rabbid animal who hadn't eaten in months!

As my dad set up the tents, seeing as the sky was already growing dark, I went over by Kura's side. "So... now what?" I knew she understood what I meant. She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck nervously, something I had noticed her dad do. "I...I honestly don't know. I'm not sure about this." She looked away, the fire's light reflecting in her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her, enjoying her proximity. I pretended not to care when I noticed my dad looking over at us, raising a brow. I did, however, jump back scared when a section of Sakura's hair moved and something attacked my head. I shouted and fell back, only then noticing that Squible had been hiding in her hair and decided to jump up on me. Everyone stared in silence for a bit before Sakura started laughing. Soon, everyone else joined the chorus of laughter. I looked around, feeling embarassed, but soon found myself grinning too. I laughed myself, slowly standing up. Squible peeked down at me from the top of my head, looking as though he was very pleased with the jumpscare he gave me. "Aw, shut-it you squirrel. That's the last time I try to be sweet." I pouted and turned around, knowing it did nothing as the foe was on top of my own head. Kura giggled, taking the squirrel of my head and gently holding him in her arms, stroking his back softly.

I smiled for half a second, then remembered I was supposed to be offended. I turned around again and pouted. My dad looking at me and shaking his head while grinning. As we were about to duck into our tents for the night, I wished a good night to Kura. "You too...we're finally gonna get out of here!" I smiled brightly and turned around, only to have her flick my hood over my head with one of her tendrills. "Kura!" She laughed and dissapeared into her tent. I went in mine, my dad holding the door open for me. As I laid down, wrapping myself in a blanket, first night I spent with a blanket in so long, my dad adressed me. "So, it seems you and Sakura have gotten pretty close...anything happen while you guys were gone?" My eyes snapped open and I think I probably redened a lot. "Uh...n-nothing important..." My dad chuckled a bit before lying down himself. "Riiiiiiight... You're as good of a liar as your parents are." I ground my teeth and ducked my head under the blanket, fully embarassed. I lowered myself even further in shame with his next sentence. "I don't get what the thing is with liking the kid with tentacles...it's cool and all, but a little freaky." "Daaaaad...you know they can probably hear us, right?" To confirm my words, I heard Sakura's muffled laughter from the tent next to ours. I was officially the most embarassed I had been in my life...

(Sarah's P.O.V.)

Phone call after phone call after phone call...I had made so many phone calls. My mom, my dad, Tom's parents, Angie's mom, Dill... Sakura was coming back. It would take them maybe an other 3 or 4 days to reach the point where Johnny had begun his journey. I thought of sending Tom there to shorten their travel's time by at least a day, but decided against it. It was already a big effort for him to slenderwalk the distance between here and that picnic site with Johnny. He had to bring back the kids too...And I couldn't add any more effort by increasing the distance he had to transport. Angie was still crying, tears of joy this time. Lucifer had picked up on her mood as he was wagging his short little tail, hopping around, begging to play. Tom had taken up the responsibility of playing with him, tossing an old tenis ball across the living room. The thundering sound of the animal's running reminded me of the times Kura was younger. She'd dress up like a superhero and run around the house, claiming she was flying.

I smiled at the memory. She wouldn't be as innocent as before when she came back, that I knew, but she would be back. I walked across the living room, avoiding the running dog and struggling not to trip when he decided to make me his target. I finally made it to the couch, sitting between my best friend and the love of my life. If I had my daughter here too, I would trully feel complete, but the simple thought of her return made me overjoyed. Tom was also incredibly happy, as it was obvious in his aura. The open television actually buzzed a bit in static at the sheer power of his aura. He couldn't help it. Over time, I had learnt that slenders' auras became more intense the more powerful their emotions were, to the point where they could lose control.

I went to bed that night feeling full of life. Angie was too excited to sleep. She decided to stay on the couch, watching tv until sleep would overcome her. I laid down in bed next to my husband, who was already sleeping, a large grin on his face. I had my head on his chest and his arm was wrapped around me. I did open my eyes again, only a few minutes later, to see he had changed. Poor guy, he couldn't contain his joy. Slenders felt more powerfully than humans did. Their auras was just enough proof of that. Speaking of which, I was feeling a powerful static buzz in the air. It was serene and calmed me. Right as I drifted off to sleep, I felt his tendrills wrap around me.


	21. Chapter 21

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 21 One Big Family**

I answered the doorbell. This was the third time I answered it today. Ever since people had found out Kura and Daemon would be back soon, along with Johnny, more and more people had wanted to visit. Several wanted to spend the nights at our house to witness the return. I had no objections. We made a good amount of money and had a pretty big house with a lot of food. We had a few couches, a living room in the basement and a guest bedroom, although Angie was already occupying that.

The people currently at the door were Dill and Fred. Dill was Tom's best friend since high school. "Hey Sarah!" He hugged me. The homosexual man had changed a lot since his teen years. He had switched from nerdy looking glasses to contacts and now had a more sporty lifestyle, which made him look less like a toothpick. Fred was similar in appearence to him, only he was a redhead. I didn't know Fred very much. As I apraised the two men, I felt a slight static at the back of my mind and a teasing voice rose in my conciousness. "_Remember, you're mine." _I giggled slightly. _"Always."_

I walked back to the living room where Angie sat along with her mom and her dog. The older and frail woman had grey hair and her once green eyes now seemed dull and grey, but she was still smiling and stroking her daughter's hair. "So darling, have you come up with any names for Daemon's upcoming little sister?" Angie looked embarassed and slightly frustrated. "Mom, Daemon is about to come home and all you can think of is some baby that won't be here for like five more months?" I wanted to leave them to their private conversation, but I have to admit, I was curious. I stayed behind quietly and listened, once again feeling the sensation of laughter rise in the back of my mind. "_You're more like a slender than some actual slenders!" _I smiled again. I hadn't felt him this happy in a long time. My attention was brought back to reality though as Angie finally answered the question. "I'm thinking maybe Amber. What do you think?" I nodded in aproval in the distance and walked on back to the kitchen. Leo and Sandra were here. It smirked as I saw that Leo, despite being in human form, was wearing his suit he'd typically wear when he was the Slenderman. I grabbed a can of Cola from the fridge and went back down the hallway to the door that led to the garage.

I handed it over to Tom, who was working on building a little structure for Squible to climb on. He looked back to me, giving me a wide smile. He didn't drop his hammer or the three nails that were in his other hand and he simply extended a shadowy tendrill to collect the drink from my hand. I watched, somewhat amazed when he opened the can with a second tendrill. He gave me an intense stare, looking satisfied. "Impressed?" I giggled slightly, combing a wild strand of hair from his eyes. "You know I am. Dill is here." "I know he is. I can sense his presence." I nodded and watched him work. He occasionally brought his drink to his mouth using his tendrills as he continued to work on his project. Eventually, he wiped the sweat off his forehead through his curled locks of hair. He set down the hammer and put the can on the table. I leaned against him, nuzzling his neck lightly. As he wrapped his two extended tendrills around me, I spoke to him. "So Kura'll be back soon. Think she'll make it in time for her birthday?" He hummed slightly and stroked my hair. "Most likely. There is a week until then left after all, and it should only take them about three days, including today, to get back."

I looked up to him again. "Shouldn't we get her a present? I mean...she's been out lost in the world for two weeks now already!" He hummed again, tilting my chin up and pressing his lips to mine. I closed my eyes and enjoyed a moment of peace, having to leave though when the doorbell rang again. I ran up the steps and closed the door lightly, feeling the slight static of my partner's aura on me the whole time.

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

It was already around lunch time. I was feeling lighter and happier at each step I took. We'd be out of here soon. I looked down at my shadow on the leaf littered forest floor, wincing as I saw the way my hair looked. I turned to Johnny. "You don't happen to have a hairbrush with you, do you?" He chuckled slightly. "No, I'm affraid I don't." I bit the inside of my cheek, stuffing my hand in my pockets and looking down again. Squible sure seemed to like my hair as it was though, he was burrowing in it. It tickled slightly. It was now Johnny's turn to ask me a question, one that left me stunned in a way. "If your hair is bothering you so much, why don't you just transform? I sure won't be a problem then!" Me and Daemon stopped moving, him turning to his father with a shocked expression. "Dad...are you ok?" The man smiled, resuming his walk. "I guess I had to get used to it, spending a few full days with a slender."

I looked back down. "Well...I have more exposed flesh, so I get colder faster...and it might make you guys uncomfortable. Plus, Squible likes my hair like this." As I said that, the squirrel poked his little black head out of my hair, sniffing the air with a somewhat joyfull look to him. Johnny spoke up again. "Well, I guess I have to get used to it... Little Mexican here doesn't seem to care and I'm sure Daemon doesn't mind what you look like." He slightly pushed his son towards me. We both grinned uncomfortably and looked away. The older member of our group chuckled once more. "Ah, young love!" "Daaad! You don't even know that for sure! Stop it." Johnny ruffled his son's hair, chuckling again. "Aw come on, I know something happened." We blushed and turned away again. Johnny tried to muffle some laughter, but decided to let it go. I breath out a sigh of relief and looked over to Juan.

The young boy was cheerfully catching the colorful falling leaves. What were we going to do with him when we get out of here? Could we even find his family?... For now, I just kept walking. I never knew I could walk this much. My legs were starting to hurt now that I thought about it, but I kept on walking. We would be free in maybe just two days!

**AN: Sooooooooooooooo hi. Ya. I did what I said I'd do, and I re-wrote every single chapter of Nature's Spirit! And now I'm back! :D You don't need to re-read it if you already have, the story is still the same...I just added a few descriptions here and there. I'm correcting all the mistakes, then I'll stop my work on that one. I certainly recommend reading it if you like seeing all the small details I put in, like all the characters from the first fic that were only making a subtle appearence that gained a lot more character here...Other than that, Nature's Spirit wasn't that great. It's not an adventure story...it's purely romance... Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for reading, expect more soon!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 22 Hunting?**

I woke-up, sighing in joy as I felt the warm blankets around me. It felt so good to sleep in a tent, even though I was still on the hard and lumpy ground in a way. Juan was already up, I noticed and I sat up. Squible woke-up about the same time I did, padding over to me, sticking his upper body in my pockets and grabing an acorn, which he started to eat. I chuckled and stroked his back. The squirrel looked up to me with shining black eyes. I was surprised at how loyal he was. We were in this forest that stretched for miles, full of squirrels and other wildlife, yet, he chose to stay with me. It made me feel special. I clung to my scarf again. I'm more than just an ordinary person.

I walked out of the tent after doing my best to flatten my hair down, knowing it probably didn't do anything. Squible was riding proudly on my shoulder. Daemon and Johnny were sitting by the newly lit fire, cooking some soup. My stomach growled just looking at it. I only now realized how empty my stomach was, and we weren't even eating full meals now! How did I even survive back then? I weakly poked at my side, feeling my ribs and wincing when my fingers brushed up against my bruise. I was much worst off than the others... Johnny noticed my obvious pain. "Hey Kura, you ok kid?" I smirked, trying to keep back laughter. "It's nothing. Just the results of a bear attack." His eyes went wide. "You're kidding, right?" Me and Daemon laughed a bit and he spoke next. "Yeah, it's true! She saved that French girl!" Johnny raised a brow again and looked me from head to toe. "You slenders, you're so...powerful. It's scary in a way, but cool." I grinned and looked down to my feet. "Not just slenders...I'd have died without your son." I looked away, feeling uncomfortable. Johnny's back straightened up and he looked to his kid. His twelve year old little kid that got picked on often for not being as fit as the others. "What?" Daemon also looked to his feet. "No big deal, I just threw a rock. You used your weird mind static power thingy to get the bear to leave!" There was something about praising each other like this that just felt so...good.

I knew Daemon's dad could have pulled off an other joke about us, but he instead carried on speaking, just as Juan returned from a nearby stream. "Anyway Sakura, that slender that traveled with me, he'd catch animals sometimes for food. We need meat in our diet, but I think you need it especially. You look...sick." My eyes widened. "You want me to...hunt? We could be out of here in two days you said!" He looked at me worried again. "Will you make it two days? Kura, you may not have noticed it yourself, but you don't look good at all. And it's not just because of your hair. Slenders need more meat than humans do. I know that as a fact. Go look at your teeth if you want proof!" I looked down again. He was right. I was weakened a lot and slenders did need meat. I looked to Squible, who still sat innocently on my shoulder. Could I really go out and kill an animal? I wasn't a vegetarian, no, far from it. Slenders need meat in their diet. It's just... I don't even know. It felt wrong for me to kill an animal, even if I knew it was to survive. Finally, I sighed. "I...I guess I can try."

I gently took Squible from my shoulder and placed him in Juan's hands. "You take good care of him for now, ok?" The small boy looked up to me, smiling brightly. I looked to the father and son, sighing again as I allowed my already somewhat sickly colored skin to turn pure white. Soon, the world was tinted grey and blurred at the edges, also viewed from a much higher perspective. I extended my aura around, feeling for any signs of life. Finding a hare somewhere at my left, I headed that way, in silence. I was shocked, stunned, silenced. My footsteps, they made no sound. I had noticed I was quietter when I walked ever since that bear attack, but this was ridiculous! I guess I was starting to unlock my instincts. The wind blew by, pushing a turmoil of leaves and blowing my scarf. I shuddered as the cold wind hit my mostly bare legs. I focused once more, finding the hare's aura. He was hiding in a burrow, not far from where I stood. I walked over to it. I knew he wouldn't see it coming. I extened one of my tendrills and held my breath as I sunk it into the burrow, coiling it on the first thing I could get a hold of. I winced when I heard a startled cry and managed to pull a rather large brown and fuzzy animal from the den. The hare was panicking. Could I really do this? Two days away from rescue? I could always go back and tell them I didn't find anything...

No. I was a slender. I was a hunter. I wasn't just doing this for me, I was doing this for the others too. They needed food too. We were on our last two cans of soup. We wouldn't have food anymore by the time we got out. I ground my fangs together again, looking back down to the small hare that was still struggling in the grip of my single tendrill. I focused, sending it calming static. I stood there, calming it and whispering to it until it was almost asleep, and then, I looked away. I looked away as I brought an other tendrill to his neck. I pretended not to hear it when I heard that _snap._ I wasn't even fourteen yet and I had claimed a life. Though the life of a rodent, and for my survival, the fact still stood. I dared to look back to the lifeless limp body. Would Squible be able to tell what I had done? I nearly screamed when I heard a voice rise up from behind me. "Nicely done." It was Johnny. The man, who wasn't even as tall as I was now, smiled at me sadly. I looked to the ground, unwounding my second tendrill from the animal's neck and handing the body to the man. I didn't speak on the way back. I didn't speak as it cooked. I didn't speak as I ate. I felt like the monster the Internet made my kind out to be.

Juan tried to cheer me up. "It's ok, Kura. As a janitor, I killed mice like...every single day. You did this to survive. You did nothing wrong." I gave him a brave smile, though I winced internally at the thought of this little kid carelessly killing dozens of mice. I only now noticed I was still in slender form, but I didn't bother changing back. Daemon scooted over to me, hugging me. I wrapped a few tendrills around him, feeling glad I had a friend. Squible climbed up on my shoulder and licked my white cheek. He didn't hate me for it either, even if I had bassically just murdered and eaten his cousin. Johnny set his food down, looking to me again. "Kura...I know this is hard on you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you do this." "No...it's ok. I'm just shocked." Those were the first words I had spoken in a good two hours. Daemon hugged me again and I looked down to him. His emerald eyes showed so much acceptance. I knew his father was watching us intently, I knew Juan was looking at us somewhat stunned, I knew Squible was still on my shoulder, I plucked him off with a tendrill. Still, we kissed again. It was longer this time. I felt comforted by him and coiled my tendrills tighter around his waist, bringing him closer to me. Johnny just looked at us for a few seconds of silence before speaking again. "I knew it." We both blushed and looked away, yet I'm pretty sure my aura showed that I was happy with this.

(Sarah's P.O.V.)

We were currently at the mall. And by we, I mean me, Angie, Tom, Dill, Leo, and my mom. Yeah, it was weird having my mom here. Fred and Sandra were both working. They'd have come too otherwise. My mom dropped by right as we were leaving, so she decided to tag along. We were currently trying to find good Halloween costumes. We always had a Halloween party. We also wanted to find birthday presents for Kura. Some people looked to us strangely, giving us gentle smiles. I guess they recognized us from the news. I tried to ignore them. _The kids are coming back! _I smiled and felt an aura of joy radiate from the back of my mind as Tom smiled too. Dill was out looking for his traditional Disney Princess themed costumes. We had made it a joke since 9th grade to have him dress like that every year. Leo was at a game store, looking for something to get for Kura. "Oh, uh. Let me help you there!" Those were Tom's words as he went chassing after his younger brother.

I smirked and shook my head. He'll never change, and I liked him that way. As I kept walking, by my mom and Angie, my mom brought up an interesting point. "So, what are you going to say when the kids come back? How do we hide the fact your daughter is a supernatural being?" I smilled. It was funny how she wouldn't say that my daughter was also her grandaughter. "We already have a cover story planned. We'll say she got abducted along with Daemon, they faught the abductor and escaped, but the abductor had already gone to the forest near Pinemount, which is where she actually was and actually will have escaped." My mom seemed satisfied with the answer, but she still hummed sceptically. It didn't matter. My mom was here. I hadn't been close to her in, well, forever. Poor kids... I wish they could be with their moms. Well, Daemon could be with his dad, but still.


	23. Chapter 23

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 23 Anxious Day**

I awoke to the sunlight streaming through the curtains. Sighing, I allowed my senses to awaken along with my mind. I could hear the sound of Sarah's gentle breathing by my side. I sensed the auras of the many people that had decided to reside within our humble home as we awaited the return of the children. I smiled. They should be out of that forest today. My smile fadded though, as I remembered I had to go to work today. I worked in the morning though, and they would most likely be making it out of the Pinemount woodlands in the evening. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I smiled as I saw Sarah's serene smile. I stroked her long brown hair gently and extended to her the calming static of my mind. My smile widened as she nuzzled her face deeper into the pillow. I stood up and walked over to the mirror.

So many conflicting emotions swarmed my dark mind. I slowly rubbed my neck, thinking of the one who was currently wearing my scarf. Her scarf now... I then turned to my hair. I, being a man, had short hair of course. It was horribly tangled. I couldn't even begin to imagine what poor little Kura must be going through. _She'll be back soon. _The thought made me smile again and I got ready and left the room. I passed by the living room and saw Dill, snoring as he slept peacefully on the couch. I didn't see Fred, but I sensed his aura. I came across him in the hallway, as he was exiting the kitchen with a steaming mug of coffee, which he almost dropped. "Woah didn't hear you comin' man." I nodded and walked past him, inwardly laughing. I enjoyed it when I startled people, I must admit. I was a slender after all. I continued, mostly lost in thought, out the door and off to work.

It also amused me how my coworkers at the clinic were all dumbfounded by how great I was at handling and healing the animals. They called me a miracle worker, the best vet in the business. I looked out the window of my car, extending a single tendrill. I gazed at it and smiled. Silly humans.

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

I was currently sitting in silence, in my slender form, eating slowly. The fire's warmth reached me, warming my numb and white skin. Not like it wasn't supposed to be white at the moment... You'll understand I had to hunt again. It felt so wrong. I played with my scarf, thinking of my dad. Thinking of how he was a vet, who's job was to save animals. Thinking of how he used his powers to heal them. And here I was, using my powers to kill them... It was for our survival though. I was, indeed, horribly thin. Far more than the others. I found comfort in the presence of Daemon and Squible. The little squirrel still cared for me, sitting on my shoulder and rubbing his head on the side of my blank face. He had finally fully gotten used to my other appearence. Daemon was sitting at my left, leaning slightly against me. I had wrapped a tendrill around him, and an other one reached to his hand. Ever since we had decided to...kiss...in front of Johnny, we had nothing to hide. I felt pure joy building in me at the thought that people still loved me even if I was this monster. I was actually proud of being a slender now.

Johnny sat across the fire, helping Juan cook a piece of turkey. The turkey I killed... I tried to not think of it. I looked back to my scarf, thinking back. My dad had gone hunting before in his life too. If anything, he'd be proud of me... After we were done eating, we packed our things and resumed our long walk. I shrunk back down, allowing my hair to fall back on my shoulder in severely matted locks. God I needed a hairbrush. Not even, I needed a whole team of hair stylists. Squible quickly burrowed his way into my hair. We walked so long along the trees and boulders and streams of this forest. The other's feet were crunching along the ground loudly. Mine no longer made noise. Johnny noticed. "Hey, kid! You're all ninja master like your dad now." I smiled and giggled at his coment. Johnny was a lot of fun. I thought back to the days when we were little. When I was six and Daemon was five. We'd go to the park and Johnny would play with us like if he was a kid too. Those were good memories.

I also remembered other things at that time. I had just turned six, the age my dad had told me some slenders grew their tendrills. I was so excited, looking at my back in the mirror every single day. I gave up after a while. I stopped believing after age 8. Now here I was...

Juan still carelessly ran around. Daemon and Johnny had spoken about it, the junior of the pair relaying his conversation to me after. We didn't know what to do with the kid. He was a foreigner, he'd been here two years and didn't even remember his own last name. It was most likely that we simply wouldn't find his parents. I was surprised at how endurant he was. Even Daemon had complained about his feet several times and I was somewhat tired. I kept walking though. We should be out later today!

What I'm assuming is maybe an hour later, Johnny excalimed. "I remember this boulder! I remember it clearly! We're almost there!" I was suddently filled with anticipation. We'll be out! We'll finally be out! I thought of my dad, my mom, my warm bed, eating at the dinner table, showers each night, playing with the cats, the few occasions dad would bring an animal from the clinic to the house for a night. I'll be back soon. I smiled widely and Daemon took my hand in his. It didn't matter if his dad could hear us anymore. He knew anyway. "So, Kura...are we together now?" I fiddled with a strand of my hair nervously. I could feel a knot in the pit of my stomach. "I...I really don't know...I want to but..." "But?" "I'm scared..." I looked away, feeling a slight tension from his aura. I knew I probably turned the whole air tense though, I was also stressed with everything. He spoke again. "Scared of what?" I smiled, and then laughed at the irony that I had long and sharpened fangs, but was scared of something so silly. I answered him anyway, looking away as I did, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm...scared because...because...if we, y'know, break up. I don't want to lose you as a friend. You're my best friend! You're my only real friend..." When I dared to look back to his emerald eyes, I saw that they were threatening to release tears. "Kura...we'll always be friends, no matter what." I smiled up to him, reaching out my other hand. "Promise?" He looked to it briefly before smiling as well and taking it in his free hand, shaking it. "Promise!" Johnny and Juan were looking at us the whole time, smiling.

Finally, we all paused when we heard a sound. It was familiar, but seemed very distant in my mind. It was a sign of civilization, just not one I expected. "Hey get back here ya dumb critter!" An orangish brown goat broke through the tree line, followed by an angry looking farmer. I did my best to block the animal as the farmer reclaimed it. Finally, he seemed to notice us. "What are you folk doin' out here in the woods? And why y'all so dirty?" We all looked at the man in awe. A person. A real, living person. One who knew where we were. Johnny finally found the voice to speak. "We...We've been lost out here sir, for two weeks." The farmer's eyes widened. "Two weeks?! Well get over here y'all, your troubles are over!" We gladly followed the man back to a large corn field. Johnny interrupted the man. "Can you point us to the nearest road, I have a friend who can pick us up in one spot. I just need to call for him. We didn't have a signal out in the woods." The farmer set down his goat and looked at us again. "I'll make y'all some soup before though. You're too skinny, all of you, especially her." He pointed at me. "That ain't good for city folk. You can phone your buddy after." We agreed and went with him. A house! I'd be going back into an actual house! And we'd be out of here in probably not even an hour.

**HEEEEEEEY Y'AAAAALLLLL! I just love writting chapters in Tom's P.O.V., even if I only have two XD It's just like... Woaaaaaaah complex words O_o but yeah, he's meant to be a genius, he'll be shown as one and he'll narrate as one. This fanfic is getting closer to the end! I hope you all keep reading! Next chapters will be up soon.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 24 Daddy's Little Girl**

I sighed in pure joy. It felt so good to be inside a warm home, sitting on a real chair, eating with a clean bowl and not having to wear my jacket on. The fresh scent of the little farmer's house contrasted a lot with our two-weeks-without-washing smell. I wondered for a split second if this kind man was bothered by it, but he showed no signs and nothing in his aura indicated annoyance. I ate the chicken noodle soup at a rapid rate, not caring if I splashed a bit of it on my greyish-pink shirt. I was already dirty anyway. Squible got a piece of bread with peanut butter. The farmer was pretty surprised to see us with a squirrel as a pet. It wasn't a very common pet, to say the least. After we were done, we thanked the kind farmer for his hospitality. "No problem. Hey, wait a second..." He grabbed my wrist for a second and looked at me intently with dark blue eyes. "You're Sakura Oakson! You guys are them kids who went missin' weeks ago!"

My eyes widened and I looked up to him, somewhat shocked. "Y-Yes. We are. You've...heard of us?" The farmer smiled brightly. "You bet! Y'all were all over the news! I'm happy I found you guys, loads of people think y'all are dead." I continued to look on in shock, but then I realized this was stupid. Of course they'd inform people that we were missing! It was the middle of the school year after all. Thinking back to the time, I asked the farmer one more question. "Sir, what day is it?" He looked to me then turned to a calender that was on the wall across the room. "October 29th." I smiled even wider. I'd be back in time for Halloween! He lead us to a nearby road and we resumed our walk, waving goodbye to the kind man who was standing at the edge of the road with his goat by his side.

Juan was skipping around leaping in the leaves. He sometimes stopped to kick the gravel or play with a piece of trash on the road. Everything facinated him. I smirked when I imagined what he'd do when we got to the city. The city. The city! We'll be home! Daemon started laughing at my side. I looked to him confused. "What's so funny?" He laughed a bit more before answering. "I can tell you're happy, the whole air is buzzing with static." I smiled and looked away. I still needed to work on my powers more. Johnny stopped walking suddently and we all paused. Up ahead, there was a small dirt road that lead to a picnic area by a stream. "We're here...WE'RE HERE! Let's call Tom!" He pulled the radio out of his bag and we managed to turn it on and get a signal on our first try this time. It crackled with static for a bit, and I started thinking maybe it was because of me. I calmed down and saw that the device indeed cleared up. Johnny spoke into it with a shacky voice, full of emotion. "Hey, anybody there?" I heard rushed footsteps again. "Johnny? Johnny how is it going!" My heart started beating faster at the sound of my father's voice. Johnny smiled brightly, his greenish hazel eyes sparkling. "We're here. We made it." There was a slight gasp on the other side, and then a loud cheering shout. "Sarah! Angie! They made it!" There were more footsteps. More than enough for only two people. Me and Daemon each got a turn to say hi to our parents. I was so happy to hear my mom and dad again. Then, my dad finally said those words that made me cry in joy. "I'll be there!" There was a slight fuzz of static on the radio.

In a fine cloud of shadowy smoke, he appeared, right in front of me. We looked at each other for a good two minutes before I rushed at him and hugged him. "Daddy!" He lifted me up and burried his face in my hair, coiling all 8 of his tendrills around my waist. "Kura! Kura, you look so thin." I was crying now. "Well, I am a slender." He chuckled lowly, sniffling. I then knew that, had he been human, he'd have been crying too. He set me down, his fingers still lingering on the fabric of my scarf, and he looked at the others. He tilted his blank head to the side when he noticed Juan. Crouching down until he was at the eight year old's level, he spoke calmly. "Hello there, who are you?" The little boy looked impressed at the sight of the tall slender. My dad was much taller than me. He spoke up with a shacky voice. "I'm..uh...I'm Ju-Juan." Dad continued to look at him, his aura giving off the feeling he wanted the child to go on. "I...I got taken too. I was there two years." My dad then tensed up, his tendrills twitching. He contuned to speak in his gentle voice. "Do you know where we can find your family?" The boy now looked sad. Awfully sad... He looked down to his feet. "...no." My dad then gently stroked his hair. "Don't worry about it. You'll be safe anyway."

It was finally time to go home. After a firm handshake with Johnny, smiling brightly in a way that showed his fangs, my dad wound his tendrills around us. After some obvious effort and concentration, I felt that tingly cool feeling that came with slenderwalking. For the first time in weeks, I was in my backyard. Squible jumped off my dad's neck where he clung and ran around the grass and dead leaves, jumping in joy. I was only standing there in awe for a few seconds before I collapsed to my knees. Tears of joy started to flow down my cheeks. My joy then intensified when I saw my mom run outside and hug me, holding me close to her. I burried my face in her neck. She was crying too. "Kura, your hair is so filthy! You're going to the hair salon ASAP!" I laughed when she said that. I was home. Daemon was also in his mother's arms, but I sensed it that both of them were somewhat tense. Daemon backed away a bit, still holding on to his mom's shoulders. "Mom..?" Her green eyes were watery. "You're going to be a big brother, Daemon. You're going to have a little sister." His emerald eyes widened. "You're pregnant? Dang you guys had a party while we were gone." We all laughed at this.

I only now noticed that there were more people around. Family friends Dill and Fred were there. My uncle and aunt Leo and Sandra too. I then saw two people I didn't recognise right away though. I half bald man with dark grey hair and a greying haired woman. Both had shining brown eyes. They look frightened and nervous. I looked at them for a few minutes before I realized who they were. I walked over to them slowly. "Grandma? Grandpa?" The woman looked about to cry. She fell to her knees and hugged me. I didn't know what to say. The last time I saw either of them, I was five years old. I thought they hated me and my whole dad's side of the family. She started sobbing in my arms while my grandfather watched, also radiating a sense of sorrow and joy from his aura. "I'm so sorry Sakura. We should have been with you more. You had to go missing for two weeks for us to realize you're family..." I was still stunned and silent. I did the first thing that came to mind, extending two of my tendrills and wrapping them around her. She flinched at the contact but calmed down. Looking back into my eyes, she spoke again, though obviously nervous. "You look a lot like your dad." I smiled to her, then turned to my grandfather. He simply shook my hand, smiling to me bravely.

It felt so good being home. It felt so good having a full meal. It felt so good to go for a wash, seeing the water that flowed off me brown with all the filth. It felt so good to go back into my own room with my own bed and just lay there. My parents came to tuck me in, my dad staying a bit longer. He laid down by my side, stroking my hair and humming gently. I fell asleep close to him. I was home.


	25. Chapter 25

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 25 Fade in The Wind**

I woke-up with my dad still lying down next to me and holding me close to him. It looked like he had cried in the night. He awoke slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and blinking a few times, seemingly trying to remember where he was. He then smiled brightly and looked down to me. After we both got up, him leaving to make breakfast and me feeding Squible, making sure to check out his new little house dad had given him, I headed down stairs. No sooner did I set foot on the ground floor that my mom hugged me again. "Kura, I missed you so much!" "I missed you too mom." I got to have a massive breakfast for the first time in forever in my mind. Bacon, sausage, pancakes...it was all there. I was starving. My dad was chuckling slightly as he watched me eat. "It does something to go two weeks without a decent supply of meat, doesn't it?" I looked back up to him, absent mindedly picking at some food that got stuck between my abnormally sharp teeth. I had indeed seen myself in the mirror upstairs and I wondered how long it would take for me to regain the weight I had lost. I was horribly thin and pale and the bruise on my side hadn't gotten any better. Speaking of which... My mom spoke. "Kura, I noticed you have a pretty big bruise on your side. What happened?"

I looked to her, unsure of what to say. "I...I fought a bear." Both of them looked bewildered. I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "It's a long story..." So after letting out most of what happened in the time we were lost, excluding the skull and the fact me and Daemon kissed, I was finally taken to a hair salon. I'm not kidding when I'll say that three different women were working on my hair alone. We all got a good laugh when they pulled a few acorns out of there. My hair was literally a squirrel's nest. Finally, I felt the curls flow back in their well kept texture. It was so much lighter than the mass I had had on my head for the past week and more, but heavier and warmer than the void I felt when I was a slender.

Dill and Fred had taken in Juan for now. The poor kid had nowhere to go...

I had to deal with the news people. They were kind of annoying. My mom had invented a cover story thankfully, so nobody would know about my supernatural origins. Once I was back alone in my room, I felt a sudden drop in temperature as my dad slenderwalked in. He sat down on the bed next to me. I looked up to his blank face. "Is Daemon really going to have a little sister?" The tall man smirked and pushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Yep. It'll be like a little sister to you too!" I blushed slightly and looked down. "Uhm...yeah...sisters...cuz me and Daemon are like...totally like brother and sister yeah..." I felt an odd aura that seemed full of mockery from my dad, but not negative. When I looked back up to him, I blushed even more as I noticed his smirk was now devious. "Johnny and I are close friends, you know. And we spoke to each other about all that happened, from his point of view." My eyes widened and I thought I was about to faint from sheer embarassment. He simply chuckled and stroked my hair gently again.

"Anyway, I'd say you're more than ready to learn the last thing you need to learn before I can call you an actual full fledged slender!" My embarassment was suddently gone and I looked back to where his eyes would be in wonder. "You mean it?" He stood up, smiling again. "Yup. Come on." I willed myself to change to my other form. I smiled in pride when I looked in the mirror at how similar the two of us were. I did notice though, that my dad's eyes were still lingering over the scarf that was wrapped around my neck. Slowly, he smiled and began to speak to me. "Look around your room. Capture every detail of it. Remember where everything is and how it makes you feel to be here." I did as I was told, looking around with my blurred vision, letting it unfocus briefly to get a sense of the place's aura. Soon, he took my hand and began to drag me out the hallway. We crossed paths with my mom on the way down stairs and she raised a brow. "What are you two doing?" My dad kept a stone cold serious expression on his blank face. "Not now, silly human. I am teaching!" Me and my mom both giggled and I turned to wave to her as she still stood in the stairs. We went out into the backyard.

Now my dad looked at me, puzzled. He stroked his white chin carefully in a thoughtful way. "Kura, to be honest with you, I have no idea what the heck I'm supposed to do to teach you this, but I'll give it my best shot." I laughed again. "You really are the best dad ever." He smiled again, but his smile fadded. When he next spoke, his voice was shaky with emotion. "If I really was the best dad ever, I'd have made sure you wouldn't be kidnapped." I didn't like it when my dad was sad. It stressed me. His natural aura was so strong and my sensitivity to people's feelings made for pretty bad vibes. I pushed him playfully, hoping to change the mood. "Just teach me to teleport already." He chuckled again and released his tendrills, coiling a few around my arms. "I'll do it first. Try to get a sense of the feeling you get as we slenderwalk." I did as I was told. It was only a split second before I was in my room, but there was a destinctive static-y wooshing feeling to it. It numbed me slightly. My dad brought us back to the yard. He looked to me again. "Now you try." I thought and focused hard, but I wasn't able to. I stood there for a good five minutes. Finally, I dropped to my knees. "I...I can't."

My dad sighed and looked to me again. I'm not sure how I knew when he gave me his attention seeing as he had no eyes. I didn't either at the moment though, so I don't feel I have a right to question that logic right now. He also seemed lost in thought for a bit before his tendrills twitched, indicating that he had an idea. "Use your tendrills." I looked up to him, confused. "What?" "I remember. I remember how my dad thought me." I did as I was told. He extended one of his tendrills towards me and I intertwined one of my own with his. At my questioning expression, he explained. "I'm not sure how it works, but it just helps to do this. Now try again." I focused again, until my vision started to fade. Quickly though, I felt an odd numbing and cold sensation and when I looked down to myself, I had this strange semi-transparent look to me. I panicked. We were back to square one. My dad didn't look upset, he was actually smiling brightly. "You're almost there!" I tried again. This time, I didn't flinch from the static and numbness. My mass fadded to nothing and we now both stood in my room. I let my mouth hang agape. My dad was also in silence. Then, we slowly turned to each other and smiled widely. I hugged him and he stroked the top of my bare head.

"You're a full slender now. I don't have anything else to teach you." I sensed the slightest hint of sadness in his voice mixed in with all the pride. I looked to him again. "You're my dad. You'll always have something new to teach me." He seemed taken aback by my statement and slowly smiled again. I then brought a hand back up to my neck, unwinding the scarf from there. "I...it feels wrong for me to wear it. This is your's. It helped me get through the forest, but I don't feel like I should wear it for anything else." I dropped it in his hands and he contemplated it for a minute before he placed it around his neck. Kissing the top of my head gently, he whispered. "I may not have been the best dad in the world, but I know you are without a doubt the best daughter." I was so glad to be home... It was then that our combined devious and sneaky slender natures took over. What else would be the first use of your powers but a prank?

"Do you know the layout of the kitchen very well?" I looked back to my dad. "Why?..." He grinned evilly and replied. "I think your mother is there now. Why don't you give her a little surprise by showing her your new power?" Now it was my turn to smirk evilly. Three minutes later, a jumpscare and a wasted roasted chicken and we all had a good laugh. My mom hugged me close. "Aw my Sakura. You're so much like your dad. I'm not always sure if that's a good thing." My dad who stood in the doorway, the top of his head touching the wooden frame, twitched the ends of his tendrills slightly and pouted. Mom walked over to him and kissed him. I faked gagging and turned away, only to jolt straight when my dad's voice rose up behind me. "Remind me to do that same expression whenever I catch you and Daemon kissing." "Shut up!" I looked down in shame, but also feeling an odd joy. My white cheeks vered to pure red after the next thing my mom said though. "Huh. I knew those two would get together eventually." This day went from embarassment to pride to more embarassement.


	26. Chapter 26

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 26 Want to Play a Game?**

I sat in my dark grey room, my emerald eyes trailing over the paper of my latest work. Kura's birthday was only tomorrow and I was struggling to write up a poem for her. _Now, what rhymes with "perfection"? Oh...hmm... I think I'll go find an other word._ I was only three lines into this thing. Finally, I decided to stop for now. I carelessly slipped the sheet of paper into a notebook, which I tossed on my black desk, and went to lie down on my neon green bed. I decided to listen to some old music from when my mom was younger. Avenged Sevenfold was pretty good. I closed my eyes and allowed the music to take my mind away, until I heard a slight buzz of static in my headphones and things got slightly colder. I jumped back until I fell off my bed when a tall and faceless being materialized in my room. It took me a second or two before my mind registered this and I shut off my music.

"S-Sakura?" She put a hand up to her nearly invisible mouth, struggling to keep back a laugh. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Anyway, guess who just learnt to slenderwalk." I grinned widely and jumped back up to my feet. "That's awesome! Hey, can you take us to the bakery across the street? I'm kinda hungry." She laughed again. We went down to the basement to play a few video games, and it wasn't until we had been playing for about an hour that my mom knocked on the door. "Yeah, come in!" She walked in, her hand on her hip and a phone in her other hand. Her face showed both amusement and annoyance. "I just got a phone call saying that a certain slender just learnt how to teleport and her parents are looking for her." Kura's back straightened out and she turned her blank face towards my mom. "Ehehe...oops." It was only then that I noticed she hadn't changed back to her human form. She had been here for over an hour. We quit the game and we both went up stairs, seeing as my mother had made snacks before Kura would leave.

As I watched her sit on the chair at the table, crossing her long spindley legs twice, I decided to ask about it. "Not that it freaks me out, but why haven't you changed back?" She was gazing at me absentmindeldy. I'm not sure how I knew that with her face being blank save for her mouth, but I just did. She backed up a bit and I knew that if she had been human, her eyes would have widened. "I...I don't know. I guess I just feel more comfortable like this." I smirked. "Yeah, cuz seeing you on that little chair totaly makes me think "comfort"." She laughed. We ate the fresh baked cookies my mom made, Kura still a slender. My mom noticed, but didn't seem to mind. As I looked to my mom, I thought of the fact that my unborn little sister was right in there. I was going to have a little sister. Huh, finally I wouldn't be the youngest or the smallest. As I turned my attention back to my more-than-best-friend, I thought back to all those times I'd tell myself I'd grow up to be taller than her. Well, it seems those dreams are out of the picture. Maybe I'd beat her in height in human form, but there's no way I could top her slender appearence. She was taller than my dad now and she still had at least a foot more to grow in her life.

After we finished our snacks, my mom offered to drive Sakura back to her house. "No thanks Lady. I can get there on my own." My mom smiled at the name "Lady". She then nodded. "God you grew up so much. And not just in height! Your parents have a very good reason to be proud." She smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. Her scarf was gone. I didn't ask about it. That thing was kinda personal for her family. Before she left, once my mom went back to her chores, I grabbed her hand. It was still as fine as it was when she was human, but the fingers were much longer. I shuddered slightly when she extended three of those tendrills of hers and wrapped them around me, lifting me slightly so we were at eye level. Well, where here eyes would be. I cupped her cheek and leaned forward, kissing her gently. It was an unusual feeling, to kiss a slender. Not that I knew what kissing a human felt like. It was just more...electric. At least I'm assuming it is. She set me down a bit roughly and her tendrills coiled around herself as she nervously rubbed her neck. "Well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow..." I nodded and waved to her. Soon, she fadded away from sight. It was so weird to see her like this. She was so different from the Sakura I had grown up with my whole life, but at the same time, exactly the same. I finally took my eyes away from the spot where she stood, feeling a slight electric tingle on my lips. I went back to my room, now inspired to write more.

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

It felt so weird. I kissed my best friend, the guy who was bassically my brother. Sure, it was the third time we did, but it was still as though my mind was partly refusing it all. I appeared in my room and stepped out into the hallway and called out as I shrunk down to my human image. "You guys were wondering where I was?" I felt a slight static feeling from behind me and a drop in temperature before a set of long and pale arms wrapped around me. "Daddy! Stop trying to scare me." He chuckled slightly and nuzzled my hair. "I'll have to double my efforts watching you, now that you can just dissapear away like that!" I laughed and pulled myself away from his grip. "Ok, ok, I'll ask before I go anywhere!" He smilled and ruffled my hair. "Dinner is almost ready, and your uncle is coming to visit you with...he described it as an early birthday present." I tilted my head to the side. My uncle was...special I'd say. He was the Slenderman after all!

About thrity minutes later, I walked downstairs with my beloved pet squirrel on my shoulder and sat at the table. The aroma of the pasta my mom was cooking made my stomach grumble and I blushed lightly when I noticed that my uncle was already sitting at the table and he had very clearly heard it. He laughed. It sounded a lot like my dad's laugh, but not as deep and melodic. He did look a lot like my dad too, similar eyes and the same hair texture. When they were in their other forms, they were almost impossible to tell apart. A few minutes into the meal and my uncle spoke up. "So, Kura, would you like to play a little game with me?"

**AN: Hey ya! Sorry if this chapter sounds a little weird...I'm kinda depressed at the moment. Some of you readers might know I have a crush on one of my male friends, but he happens to be in an unstable relationship with a psychotic and over-protective girl. I don't care if he's with someone else cuz he's...y'a know. My friend! But she seems to care...and she went on his Facebook and unfriended and blocked me...so now I have no way of communicating with him. I could stand not getting to date a guy, but losing one of the very few people on Earth I actually call "friend"? Meh... I just hope he realizes that this chick IS FREAKIN' CRAZY and gets himself someone he actually deserves. Doesn't have to be me, so long as it's someone he can be happy with. Anyway, thanks to...Idk I forgot what your name was...but you gave me a good idea for this fanfic! You, whoever you are, you know who you are! I'll try to remember your name and mention it in my next AN. So yeah...thanks all of you! This is great support! You all keep on reading and all you Slovakians, keep on doing whatever it is Slovakians do!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 27 The Eight Pages**

I didn't expect this. I don't even know what I expected, to be honest. I just didn't expect my uncle, the Slenderman, to take me out to the woods on the night before my birthday which happened to be Halloween day to play a real life version of the Eight Pages game. I had heard of it from my parents. An old and grainy game about collecting eight unusual notes in the woods while the Slenderman followed you. It had spawned dozens of different versions. But this was real... I knew he was my uncle. I knew he wouldn't hurt me or kill me. Yet, it was so chilling to be standing out here under the moonlight, in only my light pink jacket. I had a flashlight in my hand and I took a few steps out into the dark and lonely woods. He left me here before fadding off to somewhere else. Even if I extended my aura around, I couldn't find him. I knew he was watching me though, somehow.

Might as well get started. I walked around in the unfamiliar woodland for a bit. For some reason, I could only think back to that skull... Finally, I came across a single note taped to a large tree. Feeling prouder than I should, I plucked it and closed my eyes, half expecting something terrible to happen. Of course, nothing did. I kept on walking. I did get an unsettling static feeling when I took the second page though, but I persisted. After the fourth page, my flashlight flickered a bit and died. The way it did and the aura that filled the area told me it wasn't natural. The light went out because of some other force. I was left alone in the dark. That's when I knew I was being tested. Tested to see if I could adapt to the changes in my environment. I closed my eyes and felt the rush of static I felt when I changed. After my vision came back into focus, I could see again. The darkness didn't seem so, well...dark. Things were still grey and blurred at the edges though, which gave me a surreal feeling. Suddently, all my senses were in high alert. I guess my natural instincts were kicking in. I moved in silence through the forest, now being able to feel a slight static vibration somewhere behind me. Wherever I turned, it was always behind me... Five pages, six, seven... Suddently, I heard a twig snap. As I turned, instinctivly extending my tendrills and showing my fangs, I saw the blurred form that was following me. All I could see in my mind was that image of the skull. At the time, my mind didn't register that this was my uncle. All I had time to think was _older slender, more powerful slender, danger._

My heart rate quickened and I made a run for it. I dashed through these woods, as silent as a ghost, as branches whipped my pale arms slightly. I was starting to grow tired. I felt lost and alone. I wanted to go home. Then, I looked at the silly little sheets of paper in my hand. Only one more. The static that followed me was still there. Still persistent. That's when I looked upwards. Right there, on a slightly elevated branch, there was the last page. It was too thin for me to climb and too high for me to jump to it. What could I...idiot. I facepalmed. Extending a single one of my tendrills I plucked it off and neatly straightened out the pile. The presense of static that pressed it's self against my mind suddently diminished. My instincts fadded and my conciousness returned fully. My uncle. This was my favorite and happy uncle. Even if he was the Slenderman in secret, he wouldn't hurt me. I smiled in pride. "Hey, I did it!" He appeared in front of me, nodding in aproval. "You're a true slender right there. When you saw something you couldn't do human, you didn't hesitate to adapt to your situation. Next time around, you can be the slender!" He flicked the top of my bare head and I smiled. Before he took me home though, I looked back up to him.

"You...you can erase some memories, right?" He tilted his head to the side in a way that reminded me of my dad. "Yes...why?" I looked down to my feet. They seemed so far away from my face. "The skull...please take away the memories of the skull." He looked at me confused. He did search through my mind though, I felt it. Suddently, there was an odd static buzz. My mind went blank briefly and all I could see was white. Then, my thoughts came back. I couldn't help but feel though that something was...missing. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I looked up to my uncle. "You've been through a lot, Kura..." He sounded sad. I knew I told him to erase one of my memories, but what that was, I didn't know. I'm not sure I wanted to know. Anyway, I was taken home. My dad was out in the yard, stroking the back of one of the cats gently. His smile brightened when he saw me and he hugged me close. Uncle Leo spoke up. "Brave kid you have there. When I have kids of my own, I hope they're as great as she is." I felt so full of pride. Leo carried on the legacy of his parents being pure blood slender, him being with one himself. His kids could be gifted if he had some, and I highly doubt they'd change over five years late. To be an example of a great kid to him...that was something special. I was sent to go for a wash, so I decided to exercise my new power and teleport upstairs. Squible had one heck of a jumpscare.

After I changed back to human, had a wash and combed my hair, I went to bed. It was my birthday tomorrow. My dad walked in to tuck me in. After being lost in the woods for two weeks, you'd think I'd have grown out of it. I didn't. In fact, I only wanted the comfort of my family even more. I looked up to see him in the darkness, smiling and wearing his scarf. It made me think back to before any of this happened. Made it so I could pretend none of it happened. Maybe it was all a bad dream. I knew I benefited from it though, as I had learnt to use my powers to their fullest and even finally took Daemon out of the dreadful pit of horror that is the friendzone. I drifted off to sleep, alone with my squirrel, dreaming of everything that is, that was and that could be.

**AN: Hey! Special thanks to Idk-what-the-heck-your-name-is-I-forgot-sorry. You helped to inspire me to write this chapter! I'm kinda having trouble writting now... Running low on inspiration and kinda feeling down. I don't really have people to talk to either...and I won't bother you monkeys with it XD Anyway, enjoy! Sorry if the writting is getting kinda bad. Just tired I guess...**


	28. Chapter 28

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 28 Happy Birthday**

I'd have to say the biggest difference between a human's birthday and a slender's birthday is that I don't think humans wake-up in the morning because of a bunch of faceless relatives suddently appearing in the middle of your room. "Happy fourteenth birthday!" I groaned, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. A quick glance at the clock on my table told me that it was currently 9 in the morning on a weekend. I DO NOT like being awake this early on weekends. That's when I registered what they had said and slowly smiled. It wasn't just any day, it was my birthday. And it wasn't just any birthday, it was a birthday on Halloween!

When I went down stairs, I was shocked to notice that, on top of the usual people being my grandparents, Leo, Sandra, Angie, Johnny and Daemon, my grandparents from my mom's side of the family were there. They were obviously nervous from being here. I didn't really understand why they were here anyway. They never were. I saw my two grandpas interract. They seemed to get along pretty well and were soon smiling and talking casually. It might help that grandpa Charles had returned to human form though. Grandma Martha and grandma Nancy were still eyeing each other suspiciously. Martha had chosen to remain a slender, and she was obvously trying to assert some kind of dominance. "So, you're Sarah's mother." The faceless woman spoke surely. Nancy nodded, still not speaking and still giving the slender a look of distrust. I picked up my old version of Super Mario Bros Wii U and started to play it with Daemon. We were soon joined by my dad, and then later, incredibly, by my grandpa from my mom's side. We were a pretty good team. I can see where my mom got her gaming from.

I noticed my mom go to the door to greet Dill and Fred, who brough Juan along. It was the first time I'd seen him since I got back home. He seemed to be doing well. Jessie dropped by later too. She set down a colorfully wrapped box and was about to leave right away, until she bumped into Laurianne's dad at the front door. I wasn't sure how the French slenders had found where we lived, but I was happy to see little Laurianne again. Jessie seemed mesmorized by the tall blonde man's shining blue eyes. She stayed a bit longer, and I sent her a devious smirk. She snarled at me, but I knew not to feel threatened. I was really surprised at how well my dad got along with his father in law, and mom was too. It was like they were old friends already. The day moved by fast and all these things happened. Games, talking, running...I eventually spoke to Daemon about how I played the eight pages against my uncle and won. The proximity between the two of us made some people mutter things about us making a cute couple. I blushed, but we were together. I guess it was true then. I was then reminded of something as I got the cake. "Hey Daemon, I'm two years older than you now!" He pouted and crossed his arms. "Aw come on, not for long!" I playfully punched his shoulder and he pushed me too. Squible got his own special slice of cake, which was pretty much just peanut butter bread.

After everything, it was time for presents. I got a few necklaces from my grandma Martha. Jessie had given me a neat little black dress with a pink floral pattern. I didn't typically wear dresses, but this one was decent. I got video games from my uncle and aunt of course, a drawing kit from my grandparents on my mom's side and I almost cried when I saw the gift Daemon had made me...It was a poem.

_For a girl of pure perfection,  
Someone who is special to me,  
And the source of my affection.  
You've helped me through the bad,  
And through the good, too.  
You deserve a lot more,  
Than what I could give to you.  
Thank you for our friendship,  
For your love, as well.  
It's a precious gift for me,  
From a girl who is très belle.  
I hope you have a great birthday,  
Have happiness wherever you go.  
I love you so much, Sakura,  
More than you would ever know._

I hugged him and went as far as kissing him, right on the lips, right in front of everyone. I left him stunned, to bring a hand up to his lips. I picked up on all their emotions and feelings, everyone around us. It made me blush and lightly push my more-than-best-friend away. There was only one gift left: one from my dad. I picked up the pale orange box and opened it, seeing a pale grey-pink knitted thing. I gasped when I pulled it out to see it was a scarf. Near one of the ends of it, there were perfectly knitted grey flowers. I looked at it, speechless, then gently wrapped it around my neck. I ran up to my dad and hugged him. He ran a hand through my hair as he whispered. "You're my daddy's little girl, right?" I giggled slightly. "Yes."

Soon after, Laurianne and her dad announced they were leaving. I bent down to the little girl's level and hugged her slightly. "Merci, et bonne chance avec tout!" (Thank you, and good luck with everything!) She smiled up to me with the shining eyes she obviously got from her dad. I'm not sure what had happened to her mom...I didn't really want to ask."Merci, et bonne fête." (Thank you, and happy birthday.) I then stepped back and watched as she changed to her other form. She now stood at pretty much the same height I did, maybe even an inch taller. I smiled and she fadded away with her dad...and Jessie. I hadn't seen Jessie much in my life, but I knew she was a very sad and lonely person. I smiled, hoping she might be a little less lonely now.

I turned to notice that my grandparents on my mom's side were watching me, their eyes going over to the spot that was once occupied by the slenders. My grandpa spoke in a soft, nearly whispered voice. "You can be like that too? All tall and faceless..." I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a bit of comfort sent to me by my dad. I looked back to my mom who sat on the couch. She smiled at me and nodded briefly. I looked back to my grandparents, staring at them for maybe 10 seconds, or maybe a whole minute. Then, I shut my eyes. When I could see them once more, they were both stunned and slightly pale. Then, slowly, they smiled. I didn't sense any big pride from them, and they even had a bit of fear. But I did sense acceptance...and that made me happy. They both hugged me, before they turned to leave. I brought my hands up to my brand new scarf. I have a whole family that loves me, even with my differences.

And as if this day wasn't great enough, it was Halloween night! Good thing I planned it before getting lost in the woods for two weeks. I looked at myself in the mirror, with my white feathered wings and all. I was going as an angel this year. It was funny because Daemon was a demon. It went well with his name. Sure we were pretty old for this, but it didn't matter. We were used to not caring if we got judged. So we got back home, late at night, with loads of candy and both fell asleep on the couch while my mom said she was going to warm up some left over cake. Best birthday ever!


	29. Chapter 29

**Sakura's Journey Chapter 29 Amber**

Time flew by, by times far too fast. So much had changed. Again, I was surprised at how people at school cared about me. So many people ran towards us, both me and Daemon, to hug us, to tell us they missed us. Several people, including that one asian guy, they all came to tell us sorry. They all appologised for picking on us. It felt surreal. Nobody ever really showed care for me and Daemon before. I guess you have to make people think you're going to die for them to express any care for you... I brought my hand up to the light pink yarn of my scarf. Of course, there's always those few great people that will always love you no matter what.

The second thing that really changed for me was how I was no longer allowed sleep-overs with Daemon. "Aw come on, Mom! We used to spend the night at each other's house all the time when we were just friends! Why not now?" She just shook her head and brought a hand to her forehead. "Kura..." "What do you think we'll do? I'm fourteen! He hasn't even hit puberty yet!" She chuckled at that, but didn't say much more. We did get a few nights where we could sleep at each other's house, but not that many. Then there was that one night where my dad came to tuck me in. Before he left the room, he simply whispered to me with a smug grin. "When I first started dating your mom, I'd slenderwalk to her house most nights. My parents never knew." He then walked off. I continued to look at him, then smiled and laid back down. He was a great father, he really was. But I will admit he wasn't the most responsible one at times...

The last thing that drastically changed was Angie herself. Daemon's mom was someone I saw in my everyday life. She baked some great cookies, listened to sweet music and she often drove me hom from school when my parents were away for their work. So you'd guess how entertaining it was for me to watch how...larger she had gotten. I stared at her stomach in mute facination. Before we were taken, we didn't even know she was pregnant. When we came back, it was just enough for Daemon to feel something was off when he hugged her. But now... She didn't drive us around anymore. She didn't really leave the house at all. Daemon was as stunned as me, and he lived with her! Every day I'd catch him lost in thought. "Hey Mon, what's up?" He'd slowly turn to me, his emerald eyes still looking lost. "I'm about to have a sister..." I'd smile and hug him, laying my head on top of his. "You'll be the best brother ever!" We did worry though when she was several months over due...

Over all, my life had gotten so much better. It was now late at night, The gentle May air flowed in through the open window, slightly moving my pale pink curtains. I was feeding Squible some peanut butter sandwich when I was startled by the phone's ring coming from downstairs. I didn't pay much more attention, until I heard my mom's voice rise. "WHAT?!" I tried to listen to more, but she didn't speak much after. I did sense some electric tension in the air, and I knew that she was communicating with my dad. Both of them were feeling powerful emotions. Soon, feather light footsteps rushed to my door. "Hey Kura, get ready. We're going to the hospital." I was scared. Had something bad happened? I didn't have the time to ask. "Amber is coming." Slowly, my mouth twitched up into a smile. I rushed out of my pyjamas and into my day clothes, running down stairs while brushing my hair.

I met a very scared looking Daemon in the hallways of the hospital. We didn't speak, just hugged. I tried my best to comfort him through my aura. An hour went by, then an other. There was a lot of tension among all of us. This was a time I guess I could say time was moving way, WAY too slow. Johnny was fidgeting in a corner. My mom went and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to talk to him. My dad sat on one of the chairs, and me in the one next to him. Even if he was human, he still sat in a somewhat crooked position. The chair was too small for his long legs. Several minutes later, or maybe just thirty seconds, I noticed my mom was looking at me and was smiling. I tilted my head to the side, wondering what she was smiling about, then I noticed I was sitting in the same position as my dad. We had the same hastily combed curly hair and our scarves even fell over the same shoulder, wrinkling in the same way. The thought made me laugh. I tried everything to keep the boredom away, even sitting in some dark corner of the waiting room to mess around with my tendrills. It was a bit unfair to do shadow puppets with these things, but at the same time, they were semi-transparent, which didn't help.

Some time later, we were told we could go in. And there they were. Angie's hair was a frizzy mess and she held in her arms a little white blanket. In it, there was that tiny little life form. She was so microscopic. It was hard to believe all of us started off this size. Especially slenderfolk like me. I subconciously reached my aura to her's, and she opened her little dark grey eyes. She looked at me and I held my breath. She looked at all of us. Then Angie spoke, very softly, almost a whisper. "You see? This is your family. Your very big, special family." We were all close to tears, and oddly enough, only the men among us cried. Amber was born. And right away, she was already laughing and smiling.

**AN: Hey. Sorry I didn't write yesterday like I should have. My internet died. I even had to like...take some random open wi-fi network and stuff... I forgot to put in an author's note for the last chapter. Anyway, that poem was written by Violet Petunia...you...you, you little Review Master. I write a lot of poetry, but not typically nice romantic poetry...it uses weird analogies that nobody understands and stuff...so yeah...thank you. HEY I ALSO NOTICED THAT NO SLOVAKIANS READ MY FANFIC THIS MONTH :( I trusted you ;-; I trusted... ;-;**


	30. Chapter 30

**Sakura's Journey Epilogue Faceless**

It was so weird from where I stood, looking downwards, far downwards, at this little girl. The little four year old had sandy brown hair and hazel-green eyes. Her skin was rather pale and she was dressed in a black shirt with dark grey jeans. Her parents had clearly chosen her clothing, and it was rather nice. She looked at me with mute facination, as she always did when I was in my slender form. I will admit it's a bit silly, but I liked being this way mainly because it meant I still stood over my boyfriend. At age 17, he was a good 6 foot 2. That was nothing compared to my 7 foot 6 I had at the moment...

Amber's eyes held a certain intensity that she shared with her older brother. She tilted her head to the side again and asked in her little voice. "Daemon, why doesn't Kura have a face sometimes?" That made me smile. She was so cute. Like her older brother, she had grown up very close to my own family, so slenderfolk were a normal thing for her, like they had been for Daemon. But never had Daemon asked _why _we were faceless at times. It's understandable that she would ask that, to her it was normal, but she was well aware that no members of her blood relatives could do this. "Me and my dad are slenders." I spoke as I bent down to her level. She reached her little hand and poked my nearly invisible nose. "Is it a rule for slendies to wear scarves?" I giggled. "No, we just think they're pretty."

Daemon had been put in charge of watching over his little sister. Of course, he had contacted me right away. He wasn't exactly good with children...or pets...or any responsibilities in general. But hey, I loved him that way. I looked back to him and how good looking he was. His head was partly shaved, what was left dyed bright green. That was always his favorite color. He had a nose ring, identical to his mother's, and a tattoo of a few cherry blossoms on his arm. It made me blush every time I saw that. On our three year aniversary, I had decided to pay for the tattoo he had been planning to get, a skull with a few flames. I was so surprised when we got there and in the end, he got this. _You paid for it, I'd rather have it be something that represents you. _I remember what he said.

_"Daydreaming again?" _I was snapped back to reality by his words, or rather his thoughts. I smirked to him. _"Yeah, I tend to do that when I look at you." _We then both turned around in shock when Amber cried out. The little girl had somehow managed to get stuck in the very lawn, her little foot burried partly in the ground. "You see why I need you?! This kid defies the laws of physics!" I giggled a bit. "Yeah, like YOU know the laws of physics." He grumbled and went to try to help his little sister. In the end, I had to snake one of my tendrills to pluck her from the ground. She giggled in such a cute way when I lifted her off the ground. "Dae, Dae! Kura's being a 'ctopus again." He laughed. "Octopus, Amber. Octopus." She looked to him with her bright eyes. " 'ctopus." I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

As we went inside, I sensed new presences at the edge of my aura. Angie and Johnny were coming back. They walked in carrying groceries. Johnny dropped his bag and jumped back in surprise when he saw me. "Jeez, five years and I never got used to that." He had a hand to his chest and was breathing pretty heavily. Angie was laughing. She brought us all some cookies of course. As we ate, I felt Daemon's mind join mine again. "_So where did you say you had to go with your dad today?" _I took an other bite. _"He's taking me to work so I can see what he does." _He smirked and added one last thing. _"You're not going to just show up as a slender are you?" _I looked down to my snow white arm. Over the years, I grew to barelly notice when I was human or not. Knowing he probably just wanted to smell my hair or some other weird dude thing, I let myself shrink back down to my human form. My curled brown hair flowed down to my waist, dyed bright pink here and there. It went well with my scarf.

I hated feeling so much smaller than him, but he made up for it when he kissed me softly. Amber started making gagging noises. "Ew, no kissies!" We both blushed and started laughing. With character like that, she was Daemon's sister alright.

Some time later, my dad showed up. Still, human, still looking the same as always, with one difference. He had decided to re-grow his slight mustache and beard he had around the time that I was born. I had never remembered seeing him like that, so it was kind of weird for me. As we stepped into the car, waving goodbye to Daemon, he looked to me with a bright smile, his aura radiating pride. "So, ready for your first look at the job?" I smirked, feeling a bit unsure now. "I guess...I don't have much of a choice do I?" He ruffled my hair playfully and I swatted his hand away. "Daddy, stop it!" He only chuckled. I squeeled and actually flung myself against the car door when I unexpectedly felt one of his tendrills reach for me and grip my wrist. I was trying to catch my breath while he was laughing. I pushed him in the shoulder.

The whole car ride was silent. I was stressed! Why wouldn't I be?! My dad's job wasn't just like flipping burgers or fixing papers or something. He had lives in his hands! Not human lives, but still lives. Innocent lives. I was so scared I'd mess up. Then I felt a tendrill coil around my wrist again. I didn't jump back, it wasn't a cheery contact. Suddenlty, static washed over me, leaving me with a sense of peace. "You're my daughter, you HAVE to be great! It's in your blood. Don't worry." So I stopped worrying.

As I waited in the waiting room for my dad to sort everything out for me to be there, I started reading my new book I had gotten, or rather been given. The fresh pages were as white as I was when I was a slender. I was already more than halfway through it, having so much fun at each page. But I paused at the paragraph I was reading now. "Without a signal, without any indication, it was an impulse we both had shared. We leaned in closer until our lips touched." So many memories. It felt strange now that I thought about it. I knew Daemon would always be a great writer, his only problem was getting inspiration. And this certainly was some inspiration.

"Kura?" I looked up to see my dad, closing my book and tucking it away into the pocket of my small light pink bag. "Yes?" "Come on! Let's go." I stood up and walked over to my dad. So this is what I'll do when I'm older...can't wait to get started.

THE END!

**AN: Hey! Yeah! This fanfic is done! It may have been a bit shorter than what I had originally planned, but hey...I'm pretty dang close to that 45 000 words! Anyway, yeah...thank you all for reading! I'll start a one-shot series eventually...Idk when... It'll be mainly about the characters of Nature's Spirit though, but it will have some one-shots from Sakura's Journey's characters. This isn't my last fanfic in this slender universe. I will be writting probably two more in my time on this site, but they won't feature the same characters. They'll be a part of the same fictional univers, happening in the same timeline with refferenses to various events, but they will be pretty much unrelated... I will also write a fanfic for Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not now though...Idk when I'll be back to these archives...hopefully soon! You haven't seen the last of me! Thank you all, hope you enjoyed, bye! -ArashiKira**


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